Project Psynergy
by Jake Delfeir
Summary: AU. Weyard exists as a modern world, its existence relying heavily on the internet. Superpowers have established peace years after the Prox War. And now a traitor from Lemuria is intent on recreating the chaotic past.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** And I'm back in action! This is an idea I had while RPing with some friends on a forum – I was inspecting the RP and thought 'wow, that'd work with Golden Sun. . . wait a minute!' So here you go. Firstly, a warning – I don't know if I'll include romance in this story. I may later, but I'm not sure. So don't send me emails/reviews demanding that you want a certain pairing. Don't read ahead if you just want romance. Because that's NOT what I'm writing. Secondly, another warning – this is an AU. If you don't like this kind of fic, then please don't read on. Thirdly – I write so that people can enjoy my work. Thus, I hope that you enjoy this!

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Prologue**

Somewhere south of the Lemurian Empire, a medium-sized metal ship moved through the icy waters of the South. The ship was of the standard, sleek design of the Lemurian navy, painted with a black and red crest on the prow. It was a ship specifically designed for reconnaissance and research missions, and as such it was unarmed. Along the starboard side were two men, conversing into the morning wind.

"I honestly don't see the reason why we're coming down here," Alex said coldly to the historian of the expedition – a Tolbi-born man named Kraden. "I don't like leading expeditions when there's no visible purpose to them. Tundaria has been dead for a couple of centuries now – do they honestly think we're going to find anything interesting that we haven't already grown sick of for decades now?"

"Patience, my young friend," the older man said, adjusting the glasses that were resting on the end of his nose. "There is always a wealth of information available from ancient civilizations. . . even ones like Tundaria. And you forget, we're not looking for any technology – there isn't much that compares to the Net these days."

The Net was a giant link between all the computer systems in the world. It basically allowed everyone in Weyard to connect to all places in the world, rapidly speeding up worldwide communications in a way which no-one had ever dreamed possible. It was now an integral part of life in Weyardâ but it was also the cause of the most devastating war in the world. The Proxian War.

"We're here," Kraden continued, "to see if we can find any archaeological remains and determine what wiped out the Tundarians. That's all. You know very well that they just disappeared in the giant blizzard more than a century ago. Not a trace was left of them, except for the occasional rumor of a tower appearing in clear days or some such story. So we're going to find that trace."

Alex sighed and leant against the boat's railing. He involuntarily shivered – it had grown steadily colder as they had gone further south. Even though his whole body was wrapped in heavy blue garments, he could still feel the morning chill in the air. "I know that. But really, what's the point?"

"I personally find it fascinating," Kraden said, looking out over the water and straightening his gray robes. "It's always a joy to be learning something new."

"This coming from the words of a bookworm who is always holed up in the Lemurian library," Alex commented with a sly smirk on his face. "Constantly reading up about this artifact or that ancient culture."

"Very funny," Kraden replied. "But. . . to tell the truth, I don't know why the government is placing such high priority on this expedition. I'm sure there'd be something more worthy of our time, and yet this was what we were assigned to do. Tasks of no intrinsic value are not normally given such importance."

Alex gestured with a flick of his head to the stern of the boat. "Would it have anything to do with _him_, just quietly?"

'Him' was a man that stood quietly at the rear of the metal ship, watching the engines churn the water up and leave a wide wake for a long distance. He was not one of the regular people assigned to Alex's exploration group, and he had only been brought along at the request of the Lemurian Senators. His long blue hair - the trait of all Lemurians - was mostly covered by a cloak that was fastened to a headband – a very unusual item of clothing. Standard Lemurian garb in shades of blue clothed his muscular form.

He hadn't explained himself, nor had he spoken too often to the other members of the expedition. But they knew that his name was Piers.

"I don't know," Kraden replied to his comrade in a low voice. "I haven't been able to glean much from him. Don't get me wrong – he's a friendly person when he chooses to speak. But he refuses to say anything about why the Senators demanded his presence. According to him, he's just a mercenary.

Alex snorted. "Mercenary, my foot. If that was true, then I really doubt the Senators would order us to take him so forcefully, especially on a mission of this nature."

"Chief!" a voice said from above them. Alex turned and glanced towards the centre of the boat. Another man – this one from Madra – was waving to him.

"What is it?" Alex called.

"We can see something on the other side of the boat. It's a little too foggy to make out any details, but we think its Tundaria."

"Or it's a glacier," Kraden muttered under his breath.

Alex chuckled slightly at the historian's comment. "I hear that." He cleared his throat and replied in a louder voice. "Understood – I'll be around in a moment." The other man nodded and spun on his heel, heading into the deck again. Alex sighed. He hoped it was actually something worthwhile this time – the last two sightings had merely been ice and rock formations in the middle of the ocean. He glanced towards the stern again, where Piers continued to watch, oblivious to the comments that had just been passed.

"Hey you!" Alex called out. "Piers!" The 'mercenary' turned around and looked questioningly at the expedition leader. "We just had another sighting, so you might want to come along. Just in case it's for real this time."

Piers nodded. "I understand." He stretched momentarily before casually walking around the stern to the port side of the boat. Alex beckoned for Kraden to follow before moving off. The older man trailed behind at a distance.

The two higher-ranking members of the expedition followed Piers' path and pressed up against the port-side railing. Two other crew members were there, peering into the foggy morning air with telescopes.

"Ah, Alex," one of them said, taking his eye from the telescope rim. "About 300 degrees from the prow of the boat, you can see some darker coloration in the air. It's bigger than the last sightings – we think it might be Tundaria."

"Keep looking then," Alex ordered. "We shouldn't be too far away – if that isn't it, we'll probably see it in the distance anyway when the fog dissipates."

"Yes sir," the man replied before returning his attention to the instrument in his hand.

"I hope this is it," Kraden said with a shiver. "I'm getting old – I won't be able to take these deep-sea expeditions for too much longer."

Alex smiled and placed a hand on his companion's shoulder. "Don't worry – I'm sure you have plenty of years ahead of you yet, my friend."

Minutes passed, but no more details presented themselves. Piers continued to watch silently, almost unmoving. Alex was almost tempted to poke his arm and see if he reacted somehow – he barely seemed alive. Kraden yawned.

Then the Lemurian mercenary gripped the rail tightly and leaned forward. His eyes narrowed.

"I see land!" he declared. "Look at the sea and slowly raise your eyes. You'll see something solid just below the level of fog – looks like a beachhead of some form."

Alex was of a mind not to pay attention to this extra baggage – he had been annoyed ever since the Senate had commanded the man's presence. But he decided to humor him and followed his instructions. A moment later, his eyes locked onto a sandy white shore, almost iced over.

"He's right!" Alex declared. "I see it too!" He yanked a telescope from the grasp of another crew member and trained it carefully on the spot. "It's definitely a beach. I think we can bring the ship close enough to land there." Immediately he turned and walked into the depths of the ship. "Helmsman! Turn 60 degrees to port and decrease speed to two-thirds! We've seen land, and I don't want to run into it, understood?"

"Yes sir!" the helmsman replied. With deft movements he rotated the tiller and pointed the ship in the right direction.

"Let's hope it's what we were looking for," Alex said. "I don't want to land on the wrong island."

"There aren't many other islands of reasonable size around here," said Piers, who had followed him inside the ship. "Tundaria is the only one."

Alex kept his gaze on the man for a few moments, taking him in as if only having seen him for the first time. "And how would you know that?"

The mercenary shrugged. "I keep myself in the know."

"Sure you do," Alex muttered under his breath. "All crew members are to prepare for the landing. We have a job to do, remember? Get moving!"

---

Nearly an hour later, a dozen men of the expedition had gone ashore and prepared the necessary supplies. Kraden had identified it as Tundaria once they had gotten close enough to clear the fog. For some reason, this made Alex skeptical of the 'mercenary' Piers. . . he was very curious suddenly as to why he acted completely different from other sell-swords that he had met.

But for now it didn't matter. What did matter was finding a relic or something to keep Kraden happy on the way home. At least, that was how Alex saw it. In all honesty, he was beginning to consider the expedition a joke. Seriously, what was the point of it? Who cared if the Tundarians had disappeared – it might have been worthwhile once, but now technology had advanced beyond the point of what the Southern Empire had attained. Was it really necessary?

Pulling himself from these thoughts, Alex ordered the group to start moving. With any luck, it wouldn't take them more than a day or so. Especially considering that there had been rumours of a 'Tundaria Tower' that appeared on clear days – if it really did exist, then it would speed up this expedition tenfold.

"I _really_ am too old for this," Kraden said after about fifteen minutes of walking.

"Maybe you're due for retirement," Alex suggested. "After all, you've been working for Tolbi and then Lemuria for pretty much your whole life. Maybe it's about time you took a break."

"I don't know Alex, I really don't," the old man replied. "There's so much more to learn. . . I don't know if I'd be content being bundled up in some small estate in the heart of Lemuria."

"Suit yourself," Alex answered.

The march across the cold tundra continued for the next few hours. It was already beginning to grow dark – daylight didn't last long this far south. Alex wanted to be under cover and prepared when the night set in – even a small-sized blizzard under the cover of darkness would be enough to freeze them all to death.

Just when Alex was preparing to stop the group for a short break, Piers tapped his shoulder and pointed to the northwest. Alex followed his finger and gasped in surprise.

"So the rumors were true then" he murmured.

Piers nodded. "That's the famous Tundaria Tower we've been hearing about. That's probably the best place to start."

Alex took in the sight for a few moments. It was peculiarly pretty – the tower was a dark brown-red colour that for some reason reminded him of dawn. Set on a good-sized incline above the sea and portrayed against the slowly darkening blue sky, it created a quiet and peaceful scene.

Then he pulled himself out of the trance and addressed the expedition members, pointing out the sight to them before spurring them on, urging them to reach it before the sun went down.

"Interesting architecture" Kraden murmured as they began the approach towards it. "It shows a few similarities to places on the Indra and Osenia continents, and yet there's an element in it which I cannot say I've seen before. . ."

"You can study it better once we get there," Alex suggested. "Right now, I'm more worried about being caught by a storm in the dark."

"Perhaps you're right," Kraden said reluctantly.

It took them nearly two hours to climb the slope up to the tower, and the daylight slowly dwindled down to nothing. During that time, the tower slowly grew in their vision until it was reaching high into the sky. It was bigger than Alex had anticipated – he counted at least fifteen levels, and there were probably more. The colour was a richer red and brown than it had seemed in the distance. A wide, door-less entryway faced out onto the hill which they had just climbed, almost as if greeting the newcomers into its halls.

The expedition moved inside the tower and slumped against the walls. Alex let them have their rest – they had been moving more or less consistently for the whole day, and they were all beginning to tire. Instead of joining them, he remained by the entrance and looked outside in time to see the sun creep behind the horizon. Darkness engulfed the Tower, and lanterns were lit.

Kraden was already hard at work, analyzing everything he could, be it the composition of the pillars, the size and shape of the rooms, or the markings on the walls. It brought a slight smile to Alex's face – the older man was supposed to be a historian and not an investigator, but he was probably more inquisitive and knowledgeable than the rest of the group combined.

Then he stopped smiling. Something was wrong. . .

"Where's Piers?" Alex demanded suddenly, glancing around. No-one answered him. The mercenary was nowhere to be found. "Kraden, where is Piers?"

The historian stopped and looked up at the blue-haired man. "I haven't seen him for a while, actually. I think he was looking around over there." He gestured absently at a pathway that seemed to lead further into the tower.

Alex cursed. "I didn't trust that man from the beginning, and I trust him even less now. . . stay here – I'm going to look for him." With that, the leader turned and moved into the Tower.

---

Piers crouched down in front of the large apparatus in front of him. It was made of a coppery substance, and was about his size. It was also buried into the floor, and no effort of his could move it. Instead, he was searching the rest of the room, trying to find what he had been sent here for.

There was a table covered with various mechanical parts scattered across its surface. Beneath the mismatched metal objects were several scattered sheets of paper. Piers gently picked up the metal items and moved them aside, retrieving as much paper as he could. Then he flicked through them quickly. He wasn't too sure just how relevant they were – the script was faded and very hard to make out. But he imagined that they were important – according to common knowledge, the Tundarians didn't write much down, except their plans and their scientific records.

The Lemurian mercenary had to get them out of here before 'he' came. If he found them, then they'd all be in trouble. The Senators may not have known much about his real purpose, but King Hydros most certainly did. And so Piers had been dispatched to stop him.

He searched the room for more papers, but found none. Instead of continuing his search, Piers stuffed the bundle of documents that he'd already found into a carefully prepared pocket in his garments, then made one last check to make sure he found everything.

That was his mistake.

Silently, the other man crept into the room and gripped a copper item tightly. He moved up beside Piers and slammed the object into the base of his skull.

Piers cried out and fell forward onto the cold stone floor. Pain filled his head, and he gasped for breath. He could taste blood - the blow had been incredible. Before he could get up or scurry away, the newcomer's booted foot slammed into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. The pain was almost agonizing – Piers felt that at least one rib had snapped. The boot then placed itself on his back.

Alex shook his head and sighed. "Why Piers, what brings you here? You know how I don't like people in my office without permission."

Piers struggled to form words, but he was too winded to speak. Finally, they slipped out. "Traitor. . . giving information. . . Prox. . ."

Alex scowled. "I should have guessed as much. You're not a common mercenary – you're working for King Hydros himself, aren't you?" He hissed. "No matter. You may try to stop me, or hide things from me, but you won't be able to. Nor will you be able to stop the Proxians. Never think that you can for a moment, because I know too well that we will get away with it." He stepped down harder, eliciting a cry from Piers.

"I won't. . . let you. . ."

"Too late," Alex muttered before he brought his foot back and slammed it forward. The toes connected with Piers' temple, and everything went dark.

---

**Author's Note:** So much for a Prologueâ that was ridiculously long. But hey, I thought it was alright. Nonetheless, I'm still calling it that, since it's really a buildup to what will follow. I'm already enjoying this story. . . I hope you are too! Please drop a review if you feel up to it. And if you're interested, add me to MSN – I'm always eager to talk to new writer friends. Until the next chapter!


	2. Recruiting Assembly

**Author's Note:** Here I am again, with an earlier update than I expected. I can't keep this up though – I'm nearing the start of my last school year, and as such I have a bunch of exams that I need to study for. I'm still writing whenever I can though. Now, there is one matter I'd like to address before I jump into the story.

Firstly, my friend Joker's Specter is writing a Sci-Fi AU titled Shades of Conspiracy (it's an awesome fic, read it when you're done here), and I intend for Project Psynergy to be in a similar vein to that story. Different, yes, but with some similarities. The thing is this - he is constantly getting swamped by reviews that demand 'what pairings will you have?' Now, after much consideration and a little urging by Joker, I have decided to include NO romance whatsoever. There may be times when I may feel otherwise, and I will decide that then. But I will NOT listen to urgings about including pairings. If and when I do include romance, that's my decision. Romance is not what I want this fic to be about, and I don't want to be in a similar situation to Joker regarding reviews. As such, please don't bombard me with emails/reviews saying 'include this ship!' You see, refusal often offends.

Now, with that sorted, let's begin. And take note – I'm trying to have long chapters. That's the way I work – I'm a novelist, not a one-shot writer.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 1 – Recruiting Assembly**

The young man moved through the darkened streets of Alhafra, keeping to the shadows and avoiding the streetlights wherever he could. He was garbed in standard Osenian clothing, coloured a dark gray. He didn't look particularly out of place, although the energy blade clipped to his belt occasionally raised an eyebrow. There was also the matter of the black hood which covered his head.

He paused. He supposed that he looked suspicious – the hood only seemed to draw attention to him. After a moment's consideration, and to make sure that no-one was around, he pulled the hood back to expose golden-blond hair and blue eyes – the face of a boy still in his teens. He glanced around once more, and then continued his watchful walk down the streets.

He was in what regular residents called 'the ghetto' – the more accurate term was slums. Most people averted their eyes at the area and pretended that it wasn't there. . . which was precisely what the majority of its residents wanted. With a blind eye turned towards them, they were free to do whatever it was that they pleased – illegal operations, the trading of illicit substances, and other such activities.

The anonymity certainly helped the hacking groups, at the very least. The young man adjusted the shoulder strap of the bag he wore and continued walking, his blue eyes watchful for any sign of movement that would betray an assailant. It was important that no-one followed him tonight. If they did, then he would lose all the trust he had gained with these people. He couldn't afford that – the continuation of his life depended on it.

Checking the street signs, he surmised that he was in the right place. His eyes continued to scan the area, and they focused on a green lantern that bathed a particular doorway in its glow. That was the signal. His hand brushed by his belt just to make sure that his energy blade was still clipped on securely. There was a small possibility that he would have to use it tonight. . . he hoped that it wouldn't turn out that way.

He moved up to the door via the shadows, and checked yet again to make sure that there were no unwanted observers. The young man had been in situations where those observers had very nearly cost him his life, and he was eager to make sure that it didn't happen again. Net hacking organizations didn't appreciate people who weren't invited to their gatherings.

The young man lifted his gloved hands and flexed the uncovered fingers briefly before clenching the right hand into a fist and raising it to the door. He hesitated slightly – this was it. Should he proceed, then he would become involved in one of the greatest affairs that currently concerned Weyard. He could leave and return to his life as a hacker on the street, or he could continue and become part of something much bigger than himself.

He gritted his teeth and steeled himself before pressing his fist against the door. He knocked several times before dropping his arm to his side and waiting patiently. A small hatch opened at his eye level, exposing the upper-half of an older person's face.

"Intrigue is something that the public loves," the face said.

"But we don't love the public," replied the young man.

"We are the private."

"And we're going to place the intrigue beyond the public."

The face shifted slightly as its owner nodded, and the mouth turned up in a slight smile. "State your number and first name."

The young man didn't hesitate to reply. "Zero-zero-two-one-seven-nine-seven. Isaac."

The metal shutter closed. A faint metal clink was heard, before the door unlocked and slid inwards. "Get inside, quickly." The blond-haired man named Isaac complied and stepped inside. The doorkeeper shut the door behind him. He was older than he had looked from inside – his temples were graying, and his face was beaten and worn down from the many years it had obviously experienced.

"As a necessary precaution," the doorkeeper said, holding Isaac back slightly, "I need to take that weapon from you." He gestured towards the energy blade at Isaac's belt. Isaac reluctantly unhooked it and handed it over.

"Sorry to say this, but I also need to take your computer system for this occasion." The older man grinned, exposing a few broken teeth. "Please hand it over."

Isaac's expression didn't change. "I think not. What am I supposed to do, hack you in the middle of a crowd with everyone watching me and with no means of actually connecting? Besides, you're just going to plant a tracer in it anyway, so you might as well save me the time it'll take to fish it out later by letting me keeping it."

The doorkeeper laughed. "You're a bright one, lad. I was only joking with you, anyway – you can keep it. Go on in."

Isaac nodded, although privately he believed that it hadn't been a joke. He was just a little too prepared. He straightened his belt to account for the sudden imbalance in weight before proceeding down the hall. Despite the fact that he knew the place was secure, he continued to glance at every little nook; every little flaw in the stone; every little scratch on the floor. His life on the streets had taught him to be observant – a deathtrap could be waiting around any corner.

He adjusted the shoulder strap of his laptop case once again. The voices were growing louder. Turning the corner, Isaac found himself confronted by a small assembly hall. Already inside the room was a cluster of people, mingling about at the end closest to his point of entry. There was also a smaller group of others at the far end, on a slightly raised podium.

Isaac focused on those people first – they were obviously the higher ranks of the organization to which he was about to join, and thus it would serve him to memorize their faces. They were all dressed in what would be considered average garments in the decent part of Alhafra, but appeared to be of high prestige in the slums. The person that really drew Isaac's attention was the youngest looking man present. He had blond hair that was lighter in colour than Isaac's, and he was a little shorter than most people of that age. He looked even younger than Isaac was, but he was talking with the other officials as if he had been with them since his birth.

Knowing that they were probably waiting on a few more people, Isaac decided to mingle with the rest of the crowd for a while. He wasn't really the social kind, but perhaps he could pick up some information amidst the chatter. He was not yet an official member of these people, after all – any information he could scrounge up would probably be of some value in the right hands, should he choose not to remain in their vicinity.

Before he could join any of the private conversations, however, one found him first. A young girl about his age approached him slowly. She was of average height, and had plain brown hair that was tied back with a small red band. Her eyes were the same brown as her hair – not strikingly beautiful, but not dull by any standards. She was garbed in clothing similar to his that covered all her skin from neck down, except hers was entirely black rather than dark gray. Instead of an energy blade, she carried a holster for an energy pistol around her waist. Needless to say, it was empty – the weapon probably waiting with his energy blade at the entrance. She seemed curious about Isaac for some reason, and this immediately made him suspicious.

The girl apparently realized this, and she straightened. She gave a cheery little smile.

"Sorry about staring – you just struck me as familiar for some reason." She extended her hand. "My name's Jenna."

"I'm Isaac." He took the hand and shook it briefly. Already he was taking in information – a steady grip, not too strong but reasonable. She seemed friendly enough, but first impressions were not always the most correct. "Don't worry about the staring thing." He paused. "Familiar?"

Something in his expression must have revealed his real feelings, and Jenna shook her head. "Not the 'I saw you on the wanted poster' familiar. I just thought I knew you from somewhere else. Forget it." She cleared her throat. "Where are you from?"

"Nowhere in particular," Isaac replied. He could tell that the question wasn't directed about his birthplace – it was about his affiliations. "I'm just a street-kid who learnt how to hack the Net when he was younger. I don't have a group, though."

Jenna nodded. "I'm the same – just a drifter." She glanced around briefly. "Out of interest, do you know how they're going to work everything? Not just while we're here tonight, I mean – how things will work out if we become full-fledged members."

"Don't ask me - you've been here longer than I have." Isaac shrugged. "Nobody has really told me anything special before coming here."

"Well, the reason I'm asking you is because of something one of these people mentioned." Jenna gestured with a flick of her head to a small group of middle-age men. "They said that we have to run a few trial jobs before gaining total trust, and we do these with a partner that is roughly our age. By the looks of it, you and I are the youngest present."

"Perhaps that means we'll be paired together," Isaac said with a slight smile. Jenna's cheer was infectious, for some reason.

"I look forward to it," she replied.

"May we have your attention please," came a voice from the far end of the crowd. Isaac and Jenna turned towards the podium – a man dressed in an expensive gray suit was standing at the fore of the raised platform. He stood before a microphone, and looked slightly impatient.

"Well, time to find out," Jenna said. Her expression had become completely blank and unreadable in an instant – a trait that Isaac was slightly jealous of.

When the majority of people had ended their private talks and were facing the podium, the grey-suited man continued. His expression was as blank as Jenna's. "Thank you. Firstly, welcome to this establishment. For the snitches in the crowd, do not get ideas – this is not one of our regular assembly points, so there is no point in squealing to other organizations." This comment elicited a few forced laughs – the collected crowd apparently didn't appreciate the humor.

"Alright. To more serious matters, I must thank you for coming tonight. Our group is one of immense importance to the continuance of Weyard – no matter how inflated that notion may sound. As such, we don't really have time to waste – our enemies could be moving as we speak, so I'll get straight to the point." He paused. "We are members of the hacking organization known as the Elementalists. Unlike the other organizations that you may be affiliated with, however, we are not concerned about petty matters such as social status and monetary resources. We are concerned with the safety of our world."

This was news to Isaac – most other organizations cared for themselves and only themselves. Of course, it could be just a farce, but it was not what he had been expecting to hear.

"I'm sure most of you are aware of the Proxian war of a few decades ago." The man took in the glances of everyone that was assembled before him. "I'm not sure how much you all know, so I'll mention a few points. The war was triggered because other nations, primarily Prox and its allies, became jealous of the Lemurian developed Net – the very thing that sparks your livelihood today. Well, no-one seems to be aware that Prox, now, is jealous once again.

"When Prox was defeated after about a decade of fighting, the Lemurians stripped the country of everything it had – technology, resources, allies, and most importantly status in the world. Once, Prox was the chief supplier of all technology to everywhere in Weyard, following the disappearance of the Tundarians. With the development of the Net, Lemuria took that position and has remained this way since. Now, Prox is nothing but an isolated city in a freezing cold northern region. And, needless to say, they still feel that they deserve a place in Weyard. And so they have begun something some form of research and experimentation that will give them 'unbelievable power', or so the report says."

Isaac knew some of this. He had found evidence that there was Proxian research occurring all throughout Weyard at this moment. It was extremely secret and undercover – the information had been extremely hard to come by, and he doubted many people knew about its existence. But he had never seen information regarding _what_ the research consisted of – it merely spoke of the fact that research and experimentation was underway, and that there were many hidden funds being poured into it. He assumed that the purpose of the Elementalists was to determine the nature of the Proxian experiments.

"Weyard is once again bordering on total warfare," continued the speaker. "And nearly no-one is aware of it. Should these experiments be concluded successfully, then we imagine that Prox will not take a long time to act. They will use their newfound power to strike hard and fast, returning the world to the state that it was in only a few decades ago. A second Proxian War will begin, and it's highly unlikely that Lemuria be able to stop them this time."

A person lingering near the front of the crowd spoke up. "I assume you mean to have us hack the experiments to pieces before they're complete?"

"That's correct," the speaker answered. "That's why we, the Elementalists, have formed ourselves – to uncover, identify, and eliminate the experiments. Prox is quiet now, and they will remain quiet until and unless the project is completed successfully. They don't have the strength to fight Lemuria or any other power now, so if we can stop the experiments. . ."

"Why?" said one person, standing to the side.

The man at the podium looked confused. "What?"

"Why?" repeated the other person. Most of the crowd members were turning to face him. "Why should we stop the experiments? The Proxians will remove all the governments of the world and institute their own order. And that's a better alternative to existing in what is standing here and now – here, we are persecuted because of our trade, regardless of whether we are those who hack to hurt or those who hack to help. Why should _we_ stick our necks out for _them_, when they have done nothing but victimize us?"

Isaac glanced at the other man. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jenna shaking her head at the man's declaration. But Isaac did have to admit that there was some sense in his words. Despite his quiet demeanor, he didn't hack to cause harm, or to disrupt the workings of society. He only did it to help those in need. It may have sounded impossible, but he did. If people were being wrongly treated or incarcerated for something that they didn't do, Isaac would see to it that they walked free. That was a shallow example, but it was truthful. The blond-haired teen was not one to hack the Net just because he felt like causing trouble, or just because he wanted to have fun with it.

And yet it was almost for nothing. He didn't gain anything beneficial from his endeavors, except for the standard payment that he received. He didn't get recognition. He was, instead, branded as a villain. He could have been seen as a hero. . . sometimes Isaac felt that he deserved it. But he wasn't.

Jenna glanced at Isaac. Once again, she must have seen something in his expression that hinted as his feelings, and he quickly wiped it clear.

"Are you considering what he's saying?" Jenna asked him, speaking at a regular level. Isaac had only just registered the noise – order had been lost entirely by the Elementalist representatives, and the assembled hackers were now conversing with each other about the rebellious man's views.

"I was," Isaac said. "There is some truth in what he's saying, after all."

"Isaac. . ." Jenna sighed. "Are you one of _those_ hackers too? Just like nearly everyone else here?"

"Huh?" Isaac was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You hack for your own self-interest." Jenna's voice was hard, and almost angry. "You hack the Net because you want to divert funds for yourself, or because you just want to be a menace. Or even worse – you just hack because you _can_. There's no purpose or justification – you just do it."

"That's not true," Isaac said simply. "Not true at all."

"Then why are you here?" the brunette girl demanded. "What's your part in this? Why do you do what you do?"

"I do it because there are people out there who need help. People on the Net are desperate for assistance in so many different ways, and others are reluctant to help them. So that's where I step in. I do what I can for them, and if they require it, I hack to acquire it for them. And I refuse to do it for someone who is going to use my assistance in a bad way." Isaac looked directly at her slowly softening features. "I am not like the other hackers here – I do it because I want to help. Not out of some other notion. Don't ever mistake me for that again."

A slight smile crept back onto Jenna's face. "Well, at least I didn't misjudge you – I was hoping you'd say something like that. I do the same – I help out others."

"That's good to know." Isaac looked around. "I wouldn't classify less than half of these people in that category."

"Yeah," Jenna said quietly. "Listen up, then. I trust you for now, Isaac. Don't belittle that trust, or take it for granted. Because if you destroy that trust, you won't get it back." She kept her gaze directly with his. "Trust is something that is very important to me, so don't make me regret this decision."

Isaac could see very well that Jenna meant every word, so he kept his expression serious. "Don't worry – I won't betray that trust. I swear it."

"**Attention!**" came a new voice from the podium. Isaac and Jenna turned towards it.

Replacing the other man was the shorter, blond-haired boy that Isaac had picked out previously. His expression was sharp, and yet he seemed to project a sense of calmness. He glanced at what seemed like each and every individual that was assembled, before speaking again.

"You've had your talks about this person's point of view. That's acceptable – I won't persecute you for that. But the fact that you are considering them without even listening to our own explanation is something that I find stupid. Allow me to tell you _why_ we are doing this, and why it is in your best interest to support us for everyone's sake."

"Why should we listen to some kid?" a middle-aged woman yelled out. "Give us a proper negotiator or we'll leave!" A chorus of agreement followed her words.

"Some evening this is turning out to be," Jenna muttered, and Isaac nodded in agreement.

"Allow me to answer that," the boy replied. He still seemed abnormally calm. "You should listen to me because I am aware of what is happening, just like the other Elementalists present. I'm aware of it all because I'm one of the hackers who discovered the information on the Proxian research."

"Yeah right!" another person called out.

"Yes, I am right," he countered. "And I'm quite confident that I'd be able to hack anything any of you here could assemble and protect. Would anyone like to prove me wrong? I do not mean to sound cocky, but sometimes it seems that that's the only way to get my point across." He cleared his throat. "My name is Ivan, and I am among the best hackers in the Elementalist society – age difference or no age difference. Age does not matter. Age is nothing but a number that only causes discrimination. I say this now: if any of you – _any _of you here wish to test me – then be my guest. I'll connect to your system and hack it to pieces before you can even say 'wow, I shouldn't have done that'."

Isaac wasn't too sure of this Ivan person's claims. But then, it would explain how someone of his age would gain such prestige in a hacking organization like this one. And he wasn't willing to risk his laptop to test his claim. After all, his security wasn't really _that_ impressive.

Judging by the sudden silence it was apparent that everyone else shared his beliefs.

"That's more like it," Ivan said. He cleared his throat. "Now then. As we've already explained, the Elementalists are dedicated to halting the expansion of Prox, and the undertaking of their experiments." The young man glanced at the original agitator, who stared defiantly back. "Why? There are several reasons why.

"The first is a very simple reason. That is because the Proxians threaten us. It may not be overt, and it may not seem possible in such a short time after the conclusion of the first war with them. But it _is_ happening. People aren't aware of it. But the Proxians are undertaking these experiments to give them greater power. Once they have it, it's obvious that they're going to use it. After all, what is the point of investing so many resources into these experiments if the results are going to be locked away and never used?" He paused, letting a few of the smaller conversations fill the gaps. "Especially when the experiments are being used on _humans?_"

All conversation halted immediately. Nothing moved for several moments. But then two officials stepped forward.

"Enough, Ivan!" one said. "There was no need to frighten these people now, before we're even sure if these rumours are true!"

"Sit," Ivan said quietly. "They have every right to know what we have uncovered – after all, there are many among these people who will be part of our organization in just a short time." He continued to stare at the two Elementalists before they finally backed down and stepped back. "Thank you."

Ivan faced the crowd again. Isaac had to acknowledge that he was an exceptional orator. "Now you know another reason. The experiments are indeed human in nature, or at least that's what the reports that we've received say. Unfortunately, we have no agents in the research project at the moment, and the security regarding them is extremely tight. But we are fairly that Proxians are conducting their research and then implementing it on human subjects. We have no idea what the results are, but this alone is an inexcusable act, and I personally will continue to fight it until breath leaves my body."

"He's good," Jenna murmured. She gestured to the crowd – most of them were paying extremely close attention to the teenage boy addressing them.

"Now, more to the point." Ivan looked at the crowd once again. "The Proxians will obviously be enhancing the ability of their research specimens in some way. And needless to say, this can only be used for a warlike purpose – otherwise there would not be as many resources poured into the projects. If they declare war again, then we can most assuredly say that Lemuria will retaliate by declaring their own hostilities against them. The rest of Weyard is sure to follow.

"Many of you may say that you don't care. You may even want the Proxians to come forth and wipe out all the governments of the world, meaning that the social ladder is eroded and you all spring to the top. Hacking will no longer be illegal – it would be a highly respected practice. This is your paradise. But the Proxians would not have this. If you inspected Proxian laws, you will find that they are _extremely_ obsessed with hackers. They are persecuted at a much greater level than any of you have experienced before. It took them a long time and a lot of effort before the Lemurians gave them Net access, and they're not exactly open with it." Ivan paused. "In fact, unless I'm mistaken, the punishment for even minor hacking in Prox is imprisonment for life. Or even the death sentence.

"Should the Proxians wipe out the governments of Weyard's other societies, then they will impose their own in their stead. If that happens, we hackers lose entirely. We exist now – admittedly, it's not the most respectable existence, but it is our life, and many of us appreciate this. The Proxians would see fit to end that life. So that's why you are here tonight – to help the Elementalists stop the Proxians. Not for your own financial gains – to ensure the continuation of our life as we know it." Ivan bowed slightly. "That'll be all." He turned and stepped back amidst the cluster of other Elementalist officials.

Isaac had to resist the urge to whistle. "I don't think any of the other officials could have put it in that way," he commented to Jenna. "Because of how he approached this, he's probably convinced a vast majority of these people to side with them when they were in doubt before."

"It's because he's a hacker like us," Jenna guessed. "He knows how we think, and how we act, he knew exactly what keys to press in order to bring us over to his side."

Isaac nodded. "I imagine so." He looked at the ground. "What are you going to do? Side with them?"

"I think so," Jenna replied. "After that speech, I can hardly afford not to. And even if it's only for the sake of saving those people who are being experimented on, I'll do it anyway."

Isaac weighed the possibilities in his head. "I think I have to agree with you." He passed his gaze amongst the crowd again. Everywhere, people were discussing what Ivan had said. Debates were breaking out amongst the group as people argued whether to take the plunge and join the Elementalists or not.

"Attention please," said the original speaker. He had taken up his position in front of the microphone again. "Ivan here has described the situation to you, so now you know what cards have been played. It is up to you now. If you have decided to not join our organization, then the exit is at the back of the room. Please use it now."

The room remained still for a moment, then several people moved towards the exit hallway and slipped out, including the original agitator that had challenged the speaker. The rest of the hackers stayed.

"Good. Now, we require all of you to fill a form with your details on it. Once that is complete, you will be dismissed. We will contact you in a couple of days and provide you with the details pertaining to how the Elementalists work, and what you will be assigned to do." Another person stepped forward and murmured something into his air. "Oh yes. Please keep in mind that once you have been contacted, there are several routine exercises that we must test you with first. You must be assigned a partner for these, and you will also be partnered with this person for the first few assignments. You'll learn more about our system of work in that time, and you'll be able to decide how you wish to proceed at a later date."

Isaac noticed that Ivan was watching the assembled crowd with a hawk-like gaze. The blond-haired Elementalist's eyes passed across him for a moment, before moving on.

"So we do have to have a partner," Jenna commented. "Since we seem to be the only ones here our age, shall we work together?"

Isaac smiled slightly. "I see no reason why not. It's better to work in a partnership that has a union of trust, wouldn't you say?"

"I would," Jenna replied with a smile. "Let's get these forms signed so we can get out of here and get some rest."

"Agreed."

The two teens moved towards the front of the crowd and began filling in their information. Isaac had never been someone who liked writing things, and the forms only aggravated that feeling. His medical information, his qualifications, his capabilities with computers, his fighting skills. . . the list went on. After several minutes of filling in the information, he and Jenna handed their forms over and pushed their way through the crowd to the exit. They retrieved their weapons from the doorkeeper and walked out onto the Alhafran streets.

"So you're a gun fighter?" Isaac asked, glancing at the now filled holster at her hip. Inside was a sleek-appearing black pistol. Isaac could see by the shape of the barrel and the muzzle that it was an energy weapon, not one of the archaic projectile guns that many people still used.

"That's right." Jenna tapped the weapon slightly with her forefinger. "I'm not much good at it though – it's mostly for self-defense."

"I see." Isaac nodded. "Well, I'm going to get out of this area for a while." He smiled at Jenna. "It's been good to meet you."

"The same to you," Jenna replied with a courteous little flourish. "I look forward to our next encounter, especially if we're going to be partners."

"Indeed." Isaac nodded and moved to the left. "Until the next time."

The two began walking in their respective directions.

---

It was so hard to keep a grip on reality. Especially when you couldn't even differentiate your reality with your dreams.

His head was filled with a constant pain that hadn't lessened in so long. He still had conscious thought, but true wakefulness was denied to him. His head spun continuously, and he was never really sure if he was sleeping or if he was awake. The concept of time passing had vanished from his mind entirely.

But at this moment, he was beginning to take hold of more and more things. His sense of touch was slowly returning. . . he could feel something gripping his arms and legs. He couldn't remember too much, so he tried to focus on his latest memory.

Oh, that was right. He had been attempting to accomplish his mission in Tundaria Tower. Unfortunately, Alex had found him and had stopped him before he was able to do anything. Of course, it was Alex that the mission related to – he was the one who had been supplying information to the Proxians for a very long time. King Hydros of Lemuria found out about this though and had sent him, Piers, to thwart his search for any Tundarian plans. Before he was able to safely remove them, Alex had intercepted him.

There had been a blow to the head. Before that, he remembered sharp pains in his side that had continued for a very long time. That had been his broken rib that Alex had kicked in. But. . . Piers struggled to make sense of everything. Something was out place, and he couldn't determine what it was.

Of course. That was it – he couldn't feel the dull ache of the snapped bone anymore. It had healed entirely. That suggested that he had been in this state for a _very_ long time indeed.

Suddenly he felt something hard against his face. He was too weak to move though, and he couldn't do anything about it. Instead, the Lemurian agent focused hard on regaining his senses. Slowly, his vision cleared, and he was able to focus his eyes once again. He could feel cold metal underneath his fingertips. Something was pressed up against him.

He was lying on the floor. Piers nodded inwardly – he was regaining everything. He wondered if he could move – it was probably unwise, but he needed to do it. He had no idea of where he was, or what was currently happening. All he knew was that his rib had healed in the time between Tundaria and where he was now, which suggested that he had been out for an extensive period.

"Are. . . are you awake?"

It was a female voice, and it was very young. Piers couldn't see the speaker, but he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was not a wise decision – his head immediately began swimming again, and he slumped against the wall in sudden weakness.

"Oh dear. . ." said the voice again. "D-do you need help? Can I help you at all?"

Piers tried to get his jaw working again. "You can sart. . ." he mumbled quietly, "by ex-pah-lai-ning where I am. . ."

"Oh. . ." the voice sounded very upset, and Piers wondered why. "Didn't you know? You're in Prox."

Piers almost jolted upright. Once again he felt the dizziness strike at his mind, and he forced himself to fight it and keep himself awake. He couldn't afford to collapse again – he needed to learn more about his situation.

"Prox?" he said. His voice was becoming stronger.

"Yes. But this isn't just any part of Prox – this is the prison. Or, that's what it seems like." He felt something touch his arm gently, and he forced his head to swing around and face it.

Crouched beside him was a young teenage girl. She had blonde hair arranged into a bowl shape, and strangely tinted blue eyes that looked almost purple. The style and cut of her clothing was of Lalivero.

"Are you okay?" she said quietly, in an almost sad voice. Piers' senses were becoming stronger again by the second. "You seem really sick."

"I'm not sick," Piers assured. "Judging from the way I feel, and the way I've been feeling for quite a while, I'd say I was drugged, that's all." He groaned. "A prison cell in Prox – that's just great. That just proves that Alex really is working for them. . ."

"Alex?" the girl said in surprise. "You know him?"

"Much to my disgust," Piers responded. "Why?"

"He's one of my captors. They occasionally bring me into another room and perform some physical tests on my, and he's always present when this happens. He hasn't ever spoken to me directly, but I did catch his name from another conversation he was in. Occasionally he mutters something about the 'next stage', or something else relating to research." The girl gulped slightly. "I think they're going to use me in it. . ."

"I see." Piers sighed. "Well, I'm not going to be of much use in here. What's your name?"

"I'm Sheba." She managed to give him a very slight smile. "What's yours?"

"I'm Piers." He chewed on his lip for a moment. "While I'm here, I might as well learn as much as I can. . ." he glanced at Sheba. "If it's not too hard for you to face, is it possible that you'll explain what you know of this research?"

"Well, I guess I can, but I really don't know much about it. Why are you so interested in it, anyway?" Sheba looked at him inquisitively.

"I'm a Lemurian agent," he answered. "Alex is also a Lemurian, but he's been secretly providing information to the Proxians about various things. I was sent to stop him, but he got me first. Hence why I'm here." Piers shrugged. "But just in case I ever escape or get out of here, I need to know what I can so I can still report to King Hydros. Can you help me?"

"I can try to help. But only on one condition," Sheba said. "If you get out, take me with you."

Piers smiled slightly. "Of course. I wouldn't just leave you behind to fend for yourself." He thought for a moment. "So. What do you know of the research Alex mentioned?"

"I only know things that I've overheard in conversations between other people around. But I did hear Alex and another blue-haired Proxian man talk about it when I was supposed to be asleep. They said a few things about the research. Firstly, they said that the research was almost ready for humans. And secondly, they called it a project."

"Did you hear a name?" Piers asked. "Did they call it anything? Even that would be helpful."

Sheba looked up at the metal ceiling. "Project Psynergy."

---

**Author's Note: **See, what did I tell you? Big chapters! The chapters of my original novel are smaller than this! Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it. As you can see, most of the characters have popped up, and I'll try to include Garet, Felix and Mia in the next chapter. They don't play integral roles until later though, so you won't see as much of them in the early stages. Please review, and add me to MSN if you get the chance!


	3. Never Knowing

**Author's Note: **My utmost apologies for the late update. I had intended to do it much earlier, but I had a few personal problems that got in the way. Now then. Review responses will be at the end of the chapter. To those who have reviewed – thanks a lot for taking the time to make me feel special. Enjoy the chapter, as usual.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY  
  
Chapter 2 – Never knowing**

The red-haired youth yawned into his hand before leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his coffee. He winced – it was getting cold, but he wanted to conserve it. The caffeine would give him the sorely needed energy to keep him from falling flat on his face from tiredness. Oh, how he despised night shifts. Sure, his employers paid double for during the late hours, but there was this little thing called 'sleep' that tended to mean quite a bit to teenagers such as himself.

Oh well. He needed the money – the sooner he earned enough to pay rent for a while, the sooner he could get out of his parents house. He had no qualms with his family or anything, but the fact that he had to sure with a temperamental older sister and a slightly hyperactive younger brother meant that he'd much rather live on his own for a while.

He took another sip of the cold caffeine. He accidentally spilt a few drops on his uniform, right beside the name emblazoned in his breast pocket – Garet Jerra. The spiky-haired teen brushed off the few loose drops and returned to his magazine, occasionally glancing up at the camera screens.

Garet had been inquiring about jobs in various places for a number of weeks. After being interviewed for a couple, he was eventually employed as a security guard for a well-known computer company. The only sacrifice about this job was the limited sleeping hours he received, but at least the pay was decent. He'd decided that he'd just have to live with it. Of course, it would have helped if his little brother Aaron actually allowed him to sleep on during the mornings. As is the bane of all teenagers with younger siblings, however, it was not so.

He sighed. Oh well – if all went well, he'd be on his own soon enough.

After reading an article in his magazine for a few more minutes, he glanced up at the camera screens.

One screen was off.

It took a moment for this to register, but then he stood up and leaned closer to the monitor. There wasn't even any static – the camera had just shut down. Garet merely shrugged and sat down again. That wasn't his problem – that was a job for the electricians. It wasn't exactly a vital camera, anyway – it watched a hallway leading to his guard post. There weren't any doors along it for a good way, though, and there were two other cameras watching it. A waste of material in Garet's opinion, but it saved him concern in this situation.

Concern was something that definitely would have suited him at that moment.

An extremely faint shuffling noise passed through the room for a split second before disappearing again. Garet glanced up from his magazine as the sound registered, and he looked around. There was no movement anywhere in his post, or in the hallway outside. He shifted his gaze up to the camera screens once again.

Now there were three that had blacked out.

Garet blinked at the dead screens, and then slowly stood up, putting his magazine and coffee mug on the desk. The entire hallway was blind now – if someone was approaching, he wouldn't know until they were already reaching his post. Already he could feel his heart rate quicken slightly, and he forced himself to calm down. He tried to tell himself that it was nothing – they probably ran off the same series circuit or something.

He failed miserably and placed his hand on the baton at his belt. Slowly, Garet approached the door into his office and looked out.

Almost immediately something smacked into his nose and clamped tight. Garet tried to resist, but almost immediately his strength was sapped from his muscles and he slid to the floor.

'Chloroform,' was his last thought before his head hit the floor and he was lost to the world of the waking.

- - - - -

Ivan watched the much taller guard fall to the ground before stashing the chloroform-soaked rag in his small rucksack and picking up his laptop again. He had to admit that he had been lucky with this guard. Others might have been cautious at even one dead camera, and Ivan could have been caught a little less unprepared. That would have meant his presence would be harder to hide... in the end, though, what he was doing was a piece of cake.

He quickly placed his laptop on the desk inside the small office and rapidly typed in a string of commands into the open program. Almost immediately, the camera screens returned to normal. Ivan smiled to himself – it really was simple.

Now, to deal with the guard. Ivan moved up to the taller man, who looked to be still in his teens, and grabbed him by the armpits. He dragged the man along the floor, being careful not to bump anything or make even the slightest sign that something had been altered in any way. With some effort, the young Elementalist lifted the security guard into his chair and arranged his limbs to look comfortable.

Slowly and carefully, Ivan reached into his rucksack and produced a small drinking flask. He unscrewed the cap and lifted the flask to the guard's lips, pouring a small stream of cheap whisky down his throat. He splashed some extra around the lips intentionally, and then screwed the cap back on loosely. Finally, he placed the item into the guard's hands and forced the fingers to grip it tightly.

When Ivan was finished with the task, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Perfect. The chloroform effect would run out just before dawn, so he had plenty of time to get to work. As long as he played the cards right, this software company would have no idea that they had been hacked and robbed in such a way.

Ivan was personally against the idea of stealing from these people. They hadn't really done anything to deserve it, and the young hacker could hardly help but feel some guilt towards the deed. Nonetheless, it was a necessity for the Elementalist operations to proceed ahead successfully. Above all else, he was dedicated to the society – he had been part of it since it's founding, and was well-respected by all their members for his impressive hacking abilities. He would do anything to earn the respect that they already showed him.

Realizing that he was wasting valuable time standing around here, Ivan quickly picked up his laptop and left the guard room, hurrying towards the data-keeping system computers. There was no need for such haste, he knew, but experience had taught him to be ready for anything. Speed was better than delay.

In mere moments he was in the data-room. With a flick of a switch the computer systems inside hummed to life and the monitors lit up brightly. Ivan quickly opened up his laptop and typed several commands into it, connecting to the computer network and bypassing the security systems almost without input.

Finally, he was in. He quickly wiped his system of tracers, enabled the counter-tracers to stop any more from grabbing hold of him, and shut down the registry files in the system. Now, he was not being picked up, and his activities not being recorded. Nonetheless, he made sure that everything was running smoothly before beginning his sweeps.

The minutes ticked by, and all the while Ivan continued to stare at the screen, barely even blinking. Anytime an anomaly flashed on the screen, the young man's nimble fingers tapped away and quickly returned the problem to complete normality. File after file was copied onto his laptop, storing the information away for use by the Elementalists.

The data was not exactly essential – in essence, it was a highly detailed list that covered everything relating to the acquisition of computer hardware and software by and from the company. With several commands, Ivan could find out how many types of computers had been sent to Prox, and they could also find the original suppliers of the hardware for their own use.

Once again, the blond-haired boy thought about how this was really stealing. He tried to convince himself that it was not exactly theft – the people involved weren't losing anything. Not yet, anyway. But Ivan couldn't shake this feeling... instead he just pushed it from his mind. He'd be able to deal with it later.

He scanned the file names to make sure he had everything he needed, then locked down his activities and immediately went about the simple task of clearing his tracks and restoring everything to how it had been before. It was completed in seconds, and Ivan quickly powered down everything and walked briskly out of the room.

They had what they needed. Fairly soon the Elementalists could begin more detailed work and finally breach the Proxian covers. He smiled slightly at the thought of an oncoming victory. They'd pay for their actions. They had dared to use people in their experimentations – something that no-one truly deserved for any reason. He vowed the fight against their actions until the very last breath left his body.

They'd pay.

- - - - -

He stared down at his deactivated energy blade, flipping it between his hands and testing the weight, feeling how it balanced well in his hands. It was imperative that he did this – the energy diverter at the base of the hilt made the weapon slightly heavier, and even the slightest difference was enough to make him misjudge a vital strike and leave him defenseless. Nonetheless, the added weight was necessary – it redirected the power source of the weapon and discarded a large amount of energy, leaving the blade weaker. It meant that he could do little more than leave a large and painful welt on the skin of a victim.

But in a friendly spar, that was all he needed.

Moving his attention from the blade temporarily, he carried his gaze over the surrounding area, taking in the patches of thin ice and snow that had fallen in the previous day. This far north, in the very heart of the Prox region, it was almost always cold. The summer season simply meant that it didn't snow every day, and that was currently what they were passing through. Nonetheless, the lighter patches of ground could prove to be a hindrance, but they could also be an advantage in their own way.

He returned the weapon to his right hand and thumbed the trigger, creating a beam of blue electrical energy that stretched out to three feet. He looked up to see his opponent – a pale-skinned Proxian with blue hair that extended over his forehead. The man was a well-known fighter amongst his people – one of the greatest still-living energy blade masters in the North. The man facing him flicked his long brown ponytail behind his shoulders and placed his blade along his leg, standing in a waiting position. He smiled, waiting for his opponent to ready himself.

The man raised his own energy blade and thumbed the trigger, creating a similar beam to the other mans. However, this beam was coloured dark red, and extended for nearly an extra foot. He flourished the blade near his head in a friendly salute, and smiled back at his training partner and friend.

"Good luck Felix," he said slyly. "You're going to need it."

"Not this time Saturos," Felix answered. "You've been training me for years now – I think I'm about due to give you a beating."

Saturos merely shrugged and held his blade up in readiness, waiting for Felix to make the first strike. The brown-haired man complied, raising his energy blade and advancing at a rapid pace. When he stepped within a short radius of the Proxian, he flung his blade upwards quickly to gauge his opponent's reaction.

With remarkable agility, Saturos sidestepped the blade and swiped low with the tip of his blade, barely missing Felix's stomach. He could see that Saturos had held back on the strike – had he been serious, Felix would have already been brought to the ground. He shook his head inwardly, cursing his own mistake – his attack had been careless. He had much to learn, and quickly catalogued the note for future reference.

He backpedaled a short distance and raised his sword to a ready position again, watching Saturos step forward and bring his sword across in a lashing gesture. Felix brought his sword up to catch the offending weapon and used the same movement to swing around and get through his opponent's defense, striking at his exposed flanks.

Saturos was already there to catch him however, and the younger man's blade bounced off the other weapon. The Proxian was extremely fast, and without waiting for Felix to ready himself he lunged forward with the tip of his blade again.

Felix slid to the side, using the patches of snow underfoot to aid his movement. Unfortunately, he didn't expect to be unbalanced like he was, and for a moment he lost control of his movements. Saturos seized the opportunity and delivered a large overhead stroke, descending past the brown-haired man's blade and striking the left shoulder.

Felix cried out from the sudden impact, rapidly retreating. Saturos was using an energy diverter as well, but the blade still cut through his tunic and stung his skin. He suspected there'd be another mark there to match the others he'd received from the countless sparring matches he'd had with his friend and mentor.

Saturos didn't stop his offensive there – he quickly closed the distance and thrust his blade forward again. Felix moved his own blade into position to arc it away, and the weakened weapon missed its mark. The younger man pressed forward and swung his sword at Saturos' side, slicing through the light armour and striking flesh.

The blue-haired man barely seemed to notice the attack, but instead flicked his sword upward from where it rested. The weapon arched upwards and buried itself lightly in the soft flesh around Felix's armpit. Once again, the brown-haired man yelled out in pain.

"You have big words Felix," Saturos said, "but you don't have the skills to match them." He withdrew the blade from beneath Felix's arm and deactivated it, clipping it to his belt. "Had that been a real battle, I would have taken your arm off and most likely sever an artery. The odds are that you wouldn't have survived."

"Yeah, I know," Felix answered quietly. He sighed. Losing to Saturos made him feel like he was a little kid again, despite his age being nearly twenty. Ever since Felix had been found on the shores of Prox five years ago, Saturos had seen the potential for excellent swordsmanship inside him. Thus, he had been training under the slightly older Proxian for all that time, waiting for the day when he'd be able to succeed in beating him - one of the country's best fighters.

Saturos patted his shoulder. "Cheer up, it wasn't anything special. And you did alright today, too – you managed to get me for once." As if for the first time, Saturos glanced down at the shallow wound in his side. He pressed his fingers against the cut to help clot the blood before returning his gaze to Felix.

"You're improving. Five years ago you were barely able to switch one of these swords on, let alone fight me."

Felix nodded slightly and shrugged. "I've been practicing outside of our little sparring sessions, too."

"That's good!" Saturos grinned. "If you want to get better, you have to practice in as many ways as you can."

Despite his trainer's enthusiasm, Felix refused to lighten his mood. Instead he looked up at the darkening sky and inspected the dark clouds critically.

"I think it's going to snow soon," he said after a few moments.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Saturos commented, turning his own eye towards the sky. "We'd best head indoors. Come on."

Felix nodded and followed his mentor as they headed through the city of Prox, clipping their deactivated blades to their belts as they walked. Only a few minutes into the walk, snowflakes began to fall from the sky and cling to their clothing. It looked gentle now, but they would have to hurry – the weather could become vicious very quickly in Prox.

"Saturos," Felix said in a quiet voice, "is what Menardi said true? That you've been meeting up with that Lemurian defector named Alex?"

Saturos slowed for a moment, and then continued with a nod. "I told Menardi to keep that quiet... oh well. Yes, I have been speaking to him."

"What for?"

"...I can't say entirely, you have to understand." Saturos' expression was bland, and he shrugged apologetically. "The details are to be kept secret. There is a reason Alex left the Lemurians, and that's mainly because he's going to aid us. He's been working on a project with our own scientists."

"What does that have to do with you?" Felix asked, a little too eagerly.

"He needs fighters," Saturos answered. "That's all I'm going to say."

"I see..." Felix muttered. "So... you and Menardi are going to aid him?"

"That's correct." Saturos pursed his lips, and then glanced directly at Felix. "But I can't say anymore. Not unless you get involved as well, which I find highly doubtful at your current level. No offence to you Felix, but the Lemurian wants people with a little more experience under their bolt."

Suddenly Saturos straightened. "I've probably said too much already... don't mention this to anyone else, okay?"

Felix nodded and they continued through the city. Suddenly he was curious about the project... what was Saturos involved in? What was did Alex's little project consist of? What would a research project require fighters?

He pondered on this for a moment, but could only think of one possibility. It had to be some kind of weapon... Felix shook his head slightly. It wasn't up to him to question what was happening. He'd just have to wait and see.

The streets of Prox began to fill with snow... as was Felix's mind. His curiosity refused to leave him alone...

- - - - -

Once again, Piers watched from his bed as the guards dragged Sheba out of their cell. He desperately wanted to help her, but knew that it would do him no good – if he tried to resist, then the guards beat him and Sheba until they were barely able to move. Then they'd drag her away regardless.

He looked sorrowfully as the young girl from Lalivero was hauled from her sitting position on the floor and forcefully brought out of the cell. For a moment her eyes locked onto Piers' face, and in that instant Piers felt compelled to stand up and attack them. But a slight shake from the blonde girls' head made him lose the urge, and the feeling was placed by helplessness.

He didn't know how long he'd been in that cell with Sheba. There were no windows in the entire hallway, so he could never see the sky. No clocks were in open view, so he wasn't able to find the time that way. He estimated that he'd been her for a week or so, but there was no real way to determine that for sure.

Piers had passed the time talking to Sheba, trying to find out what he could about 'Project Psynergy' as she had called it. The guards were taking her to be 'tested' once again. She had described it as an unusual process... she was put through several physical and mental examinations. Occasionally she was given a complete health check. She had no idea what it was for, but she was worried they were going to use her in the Project.

Piers didn't know what to think. When he had been requested by King Hydros to join Alex's expedition, it had been his duty to discover additional evidence to support the claims that he was intended to defect to Prox. It had also been his duty to stop any Tundarian plans and information from getting into the hands of Alex, but he had failed in that regard. The traitor had caught him and confirmed that he was working for them, but Piers had never been able to return to Lemuria and report.

An indeterminate period of time had passed between that moment and when he had first been dragged into Sheba's cell. Now he had been here for about a week, learning what he could from his fellow prisoner.

Sheba had mentioned that one of her captors was a Lemurian, and she believed his name was Alex. She couldn't be sure, but Piers was fairly certain that the only other Lemurian in Prox at that point would have to be Alex. And he was involved in this Project... the question was, why had he wanted to be in Tundaria? He had overheard Alex mentioning that he saw little point in the expedition, but he knew it was a farce – it had been the man's intention to travel south in the first place.

He contemplated this for a moment, and sighed. There was very little he could do while in this cell. They weren't letting him out of the room at all, so he was rapidly growing bored. He needed to get out of here and find out what Alex was doing... but how could he? Proxians were well known as excellent fighters – that's how they had been able to subdue so much of the world during the Proxian War. He imagined that the guards would have to be reasonably well trained.

For several minutes more he thought about what he could do. Then he heard approaching footsteps. He sat up on the edge of his bed and looked out through the bars. A moment later two guards escorted a tired looking Sheba into the cell and locked the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" Piers asked, almost routinely. Sheba had been taken every second day, and there was never anything wrong with her – he was just concerned.

"It's okay, I'm fine..." Sheba sighed and slumped down on her own bed. "I'm just exhausted... there's only so long they can force me to run. I think they were trying to figure out the limits of my strength... that's certainly what it seemed like."

Piers nodded. "I see."

"And I also saw that other Lemurian again..." she added, almost as an afterthought.

"You did?!" Piers said in a slightly louder voice, glancing over at her. "What was he doing? What did he say?"

Sheba didn't say a thing. Instead, she just looked sad.

"...Sheba? Are you alright?"

Without warning, she started sobbing. She buried her face into her pillow and moaned, her eyes filling with tears.

"Piers... I'm terrified..." she cried. "Alex was there for the whole thing... watching. When they finally stopped the testing, I...I heard him say that I was 'almost ready'... that it could begin shortly..."

Piers moved over to her and rested his hand gently on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"They're going to use me in this Psynergy stuff, I know it..." Sheba continued to cry. "I'm so scared... what are they going to do to me?"

"I don't know..." Piers muttered. "But... I'm not going to let you find out."

Sheba didn't hear his response, but instead continued sobbing into her pillow. Piers remained by her side, trying to be as comforting a presence as possible. He knew he couldn't do much, but that was the best he had available.

"I'm not going to let you find out," he repeated minutes later, when Sheba was finally calming down.

"...wha-what do you mean..." she muttered.

"Whatever this Project Psynergy thing is, I'm not going to let you get involved," he declared. "I don't know what Prox is doing, and despite my mission to find out, my first priority is to get myself to safety. And when I came here, I said that if I escaped, I'd help you go with me. I'm going to escape. We're going to get out of here before they can do anything further to you."

Sheba pulled her head from the pillow and looked at him with red, tear-streaked eyes. "Are you serious?"

"I'm deadly serious." Piers' golden eyes seemed almost afire with sudden determination.

"But how are we going to get out?" she said softly, suddenly worried that someone would hear.

"...I'm not sure. I think there's one shot... only one. And it'll be hard... but it may be the only chance we have."

Sheba nodded. "It's better than staying here and not trying... we have to do whatever we can. Tell me."

Piers nodded and started explaining.

- - - - -

Jenna idly flicked through page after page of information, slightly bored with it all. None of her sources and contacts had anything interesting in the way of news, so she was beginning to tire of this. Briefly, her eyes passed to the timer in the corner of her computer screen – it was well after midnight, local Alhafran time.

She stifled a yawn and brushed the loose strands of hair from her face, flicking her ponytail back behind her shoulder. The tiny, succulent strands of information that Ivan had given them at the assembly were enough to tantalize her, and now she was searching almost exclusively for resources on this Proxian research.

However, as the daylight hours had turned into the night hours, she had come up completely dry, and her interest was starting to waver. Jenna was patient when she needed to be, but even the most patient person grew tired of a fruitless search when so many hours had been poured into it.

She sighed once again as she closed another page. She prepared to kill her connection and retire for the night, but then something caught her eye... in the corner of the screen was a flashing icon in the shape of an envelope. A new message.

Jenna moved her pointer to it and double clicked. Immediately the browser came up and asked for her details. Automatically her gloved fingers tapped their appropriate keys, leaving lines of text on the screen. When she was finished, the screen blinked for a moment before the message flashed on-screen.

_To: Jenna_

_From: Tony_

_Subject: A hit_

_Message: A possible link for you – very vague, but there may be something deeper. It was under a deep layer of encryption and high-level passwords – this took me hours to crack. You owe me big time for this one._

Appended to the message was a link, under a decryption seal – a useful little thing that several highly skilled hackers had developed in order to transfer patches between one another that allowed access to sites using that encryption setting. Usually the high-level security sites such as this one would alter their encryption settings as soon as they discovered the intrusion, so the seal wouldn't be effective for long. She'd have to be as quick as she could to extract the information.

Jenna tapped in a few commands, bringing up her security systems and enabling them all to repel anyone who might be watching her. She pressed another command, clearing all the tracers from her system, before moving her pointer to the link.

A moment passed, and she hesitated. Clicking this could very well net her in trouble. Jenna knew it was for a worthy cause, but still... hackers like her didn't survive if they got themselves too deeply involved in something of this magnitude. Proceeding ahead and attempting to uncover any shards of information from this would get her involved with the Elementalists in a way that meant she couldn't escape. This would seal her well and truly.

Why she was thinking like this, Jenna had no idea. The realization had just come to her, and now she was coming to grips with it. Should she take the plunge? Should she put her life on the line to help out others?

Jenna inhaled, and then let it out again before tapping on the pointer. Immediately the message was replaced with lines of text – strange symbols, numbers, and strings of gibberish that made absolutely no sense. A moment later the decryption seal kicked in, and the lines were rapidly replaced by sensible words. As if in a trance, Jenna tapped away at her keyboard, activating security measures almost by second nature.

The origin of this document was very high profile – it was extremely high-level Proxian data from the upper echelons of the government. She scanned through it, but mostly it was a declaration of confidentiality. Slightly excited by this, Jenna continued scanning the text.

It was only a few moments before this feeling of exhilaration passed and the brunette teen immediately began to feel disappointed. The information wasn't what she was looking for – it was more like routine reports. Disinterested, she flicked through the remainder of the file. There was nothing of any interest – just simple details about the state of Prox.

Jenna was about to terminate the browser and send a failure message back to Tony, but then her eyes came to rest on something slightly out of the ordinary. It was amidst what looked to be military force assignments, but something didn't seem right about it...

_PDF Sect. 15, Div. 54AF – Project Psynergy_

Project Psynergy. What on earth was that? Jenna flicked through the remainder of that portion, but saw nothing identical to it. This section of the Proxian military was involved in some kind of project... could it be the experiments she was looking for?

Suddenly a warning beep came from her console. Then the symbols on the screen began to change... one by one they altered themselves, and rapidly spread.

They were re-encrypting it.

Quickly she selected the appropriate section of the text, which was thankfully unchanged, and hit the Copy command. Immediately a text document opened up and the words were copied to it. Mere moments after the command was completed, the letters changed into the new Proxian encryption system.

Jenna quickly closed the browser and went through her security systems, removing any lingering tracers that she hadn't cleared in her previous sweeps. There were a large number of them – no doubt the automated Proxian security systems were having a field day during the encryption process.

Almost without warning, Jenna breathed a huge sigh of relief. She had expected the events to be much worse... as if she would get caught, somehow, and the Proxians would get her. She was edgy... it was probably just lack of sleep. Once more she glanced at the clock, noting the late hour.

Absently she glanced at the extracted line of information once more. _Project Psynergy_. What was that? Well, at least she had a name to give to the Elementalists when they summoned her again. She terminated her connection to the Net and switched the laptop off before moving over to her bed.

Jenna lived her in this simple apartment, alone. She didn't really know where she was born... she hadn't seen her parents for years. She believed them to be dead, along with her older sibling... she just didn't know. The Alhafran police had found her lying in a street somewhere; she had been clutching a laptop with no records whatsoever of a previous owner. There had been signs of head trauma, and that might have explained her memory gaps.

Because she didn't know whether there was a family member or friend to take care of her, Jenna had been offered to be given to foster parents. However, since she had been fifteen at the time, the police had instead decided to grant her a small pension and accommodation to reside in. That way she could take care of herself, rather than burdening another family with a teenage girl.

She had accepted the arrangements eagerly, and after a short time she had found herself in this apartment. It had taken a little getting used to... the pension was barely sufficient for food and little else. Jena had spent her time on the Net, learning how to be a hacker. A year later, she had begun her little campaign to help those in need with her actions, and now here she was – a young woman of seventeen, getting involved in things much larger than her.

Lying on her bed, Jenna pulled off her gloves and slid beneath the sheets. Again, her thoughts drifted to the two words she had found on the Proxian site – Project Psynergy. Before she gave into the realm of the unconscious and fell asleep, she thought absently of the Elementalist operation.

What would happen in the near future... those were her last thoughts before the darkness claimed her.

- - - - -

Author's Note: Again, I apologize very much for this late update. This chapter is sort of setting the stage for the much bigger series of events, hence why it's a little smaller than Chapter 1. I'd promise to update soon, but I don't like the odds of completing the next chapter in November... I'll be writing my NaNo, and that'll take up just about all of my spare time.

**Review Responses**

**(Previous Chapter)**

**Older Chapter**

**::Anonymous::**

**(Lord Slasher)**

Thanks a lot for the compliments, not to mention the reassurance. I'll keep updating, don't worry.

**Bunder Black**

I'm glad you like the idea. And I'm also glad you liked the characterization – I worked really hard on that. Oh, and you're not the only one who feels for Piers. I'll try to keep it up in the future.

**(The 8BTFreek)**

Heh... thanks for the praise. As for the Kraden being King of the World... ::starts typing out ideas:: ...ahem. As for Prox's intentions, you'll just have to keep reading and see, won't you?

**(Daidairo)**

Don't worry, I'll keep updating, and hopefully quicker than this one. As for what the Net has to do with it, it has _everything_ to do with it. You'll see.

**(Avari, wind seer)**

It's good to hear that you like it – I'm not used to such praise. Thanks.

**(Spastic Djinn)**

Woohoo, I made a favourite list! Glad to hear you think so highly of this story.

**(Azususan)**

Yeah, I'm not perfect when it comes to punctuation... try as I might, I always miss some. And your opinion of the romance was useful, so thanks for that, and thanks for reading.

**::Dianahnd::**

Heh, good to see I got you hooked on this one Diana. Thanks for the comments.

Until next chapter!


	4. Run

**Author's Note:** I don't have much to say today... sorry for not updating all month. I dropped out of NaNo fairly early on, but I've been crazily busy dealing with personal issues and the like. Though now I should have a faster update rate... I'll try to leave you with something before I go away in a couple of weeks. Okay. Chapter 3 – here we go.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 3 – Run**

Felix walked through his small apartment and sighed. A few days had passed since Saturos had spoken briefly of the Lemurian Alex, and not a minute had gone by where Felix didn't feel the slightest bit curious. It was unlike him, but he couldn't help it... something about the situation felt strange to him.

He sighed again. He couldn't shake this feeling... there was more at work than what touched the surface, and it somehow felt like he was involved. Felix considered this for a moment... could it have something to do with his time before Prox?

He remembered very little of that. He knew he'd lived in Vale for a good portion of his life – he'd had family there. A mother, a father, and a younger sister... but for some strange reason, he couldn't remember their names. He could vaguely picture their faces in the quiet of his mind, but their names were lost to him.

Ever since Felix had shown up in Prox, five years ago, he had had difficulty in remembering just about anything. Many of his older memories he still clung to, giving him warmth in the hard times... but day by day, they seemed to be harder to recall. He expected it had something to do with some kind of mental shock, since the problem only seemed to crop up when he had come to Prox.

His arrival had not been intentional. He had been found drowning in the Great Eastern Sea by a Proxian ship, somewhere north of Alhafra. Although they had fished him out and resuscitated him, he hadn't woken until their return to Prox. Once there, he had found that a lot of details he had forgotten entirely – many memories, and many names. He recalled his own name, Felix, but his family name had disappeared.

Once he had been restored to health, the Proxian people decided that it was best for him to stay there until his memory was restored. It would do him no good if Felix had returned to Vale, only to find that his memories had been deceiving and he wasn't from there. Reluctantly, the young man agreed.

So he had been given quarters with a man in his early twenties named Saturos. At first, Felix hadn't been too thrilled with the idea, but Saturos had quickly been shown to be a friendly person. He was a warrior – a PE teacher at the nearby school, and he had served with the Proxian military for a few years as an energy blade fighter. As a matter of fact, he had been one of the best during that time – he had several combat awards to show for it. The Proxian military was not what it had been prior to the war which they had started, but nonetheless, Saturos had skills that were nothing to be sneezed at.

After observing Felix for a short time, Saturos had commented on how he seemed to have some potential as a decent swordsman. From then on, he had begun training under the expert fighter – a practice which continued to this day. He was still in Prox... his memory had never truly repaired itself. If anything, it only seemed to get worse – even short-term details occasionally were lost on him.

He wanted to know who he was... a first name was not enough to Felix. He wanted to return home... to find out if he had a family. He just wanted to know the truth, but he was unable to. Because of this, he tended to always be quiet... as if he had drawn himself inside a shell and refused to come out. It was very rare for him to open up – perhaps the only time he did so was for his mentor and friend, Saturos.

There was a knock on the door, and Felix clipped his energy blade to his belt before facing it.

"Come," he answered.

The door slid open a moment later, and Saturos walked into the room. He glanced at Felix.

"Not intruding in anything, are we?" he asked.

"We?" Felix replied.

A moment later a blonde-haired woman with extremely pale skin poked her head through the door. It was Menardi, a good friend of Saturos.

"Oh, Menardi is here too." Felix shrugged. "No, you aren't intruding – I wasn't doing anything in particular. How can I help you?" He pointed to the chairs at the table, and the two Proxians. They walked in and sat down, turning their attention towards him. Felix waited until they were seated before taking a third for himself.

"Well Felix," Menardi said, "can you recall what I spoke to you about relating Saturos and Alex?"

Felix nodded. "Yes. You mentioned that he'd been in contact with him, but Saturos told me personally that there was a research project involved. He also mentioned that it required warriors, and that you were both joining."

Menardi nodded, and Saturos took up the thread of conversation.

"That's all correct. However... I spoke to Alex again recently, and he seemed highly interested when I mentioned that I had a skilled pupil under my tutelage. He even mentioned that he might ask for your assistance in a later stage of the project."

Felix's ears perked up at this, and he straightened slightly in his chair. "Really? What do you mean?"

"Well..." Saturos hesitated. "Once again, I can't say it all, unless I know for sure that you're actually wanted for the project. But we can tell you something."

"There are four different sections of the project," Menardi continued. "Even we don't know all the details, but they're supposed to be different elements of the same thing. Saturos and I are involved in one, as are two other people who've volunteered." She smiled, but Felix glimpsed worry in her eyes. "One of those people is actually my sister Karst, I might add."

Felix nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"Alex may need others for the other three sections. He said you may prove to be suitable for another element of the project, and so Saturos and I are to keep an eye on you for a while to see how your skills fare."

"I... see." Felix chewed on his lower lip for a moment, pondering this situation in his head. If he became involved with the project, then he would be able to ease his curiosity and learn exactly what was happening first hand. However, it meant that there might be no going back for him... that could be something considerably risky. He decided that it was probably best if he gained more information before actively pursuing this opportunity.

"There is one thing I wish to know," Felix said, raising his eye level to that of his two Proxian friends. "What is this project? I think Saturos might have mentioned something, but... you know what my memory is like." He shrugged.

"Well..." Saturos glanced around for a moment, as if looking out for signs of unwanted listeners. "Like I said, the details must be kept out of this. But... I can tell you that I don't think it's for peaceful purposes."

Somewhere in his stomach, Felix felt a chill. Not for peaceful purposes? Did Alex mean to start another war?

"It's a weapon?" Felix said, unable to contain his surprise.

"It could be." Menardi sighed. "We don't know yet... it may not be as serious as that. We'll know when we get properly involved."

"When will that happen?" Felix asked.

"Tomorrow." Saturos glanced at his watch. "Well, sorry to have bumped in on you like that, and I'm even sorrier that I have to be leaving so soon. Places to go, people to see. Are you coming, Menardi?"

The blonde-haired woman nodded and stood up with him, walking back to the door. Felix didn't move from his seat – he just watched them get up and prepare to depart. As they moved out the doorway, his mentor looked back at him.

"Remember," he warned, "this stuff is secret. We trust you with this, though, so don't betray that trust."

"I don't intend to," Felix muttered in response.

Saturos smiled slightly, before turning away and closing the door behind him.

Something not involved in peaceful applications. Something which required high-level warriors in the research. How could it be anything but a weapon, or some other tool of war? Felix rubbed his eyes and sighed yet again. This project didn't sound like something he would normally endorse... the Proxians had started one war because they were jealous of Lemuria. They had lost nearly everything by the end of it all. How could Alex even think of creating something that could well start another?

Felix slowed his thoughts and shook his head. This wasn't necessarily true. He just didn't know enough yet... Saturos and Menardi continued to be tight-lipped, and inside he didn't blame them.

What was going on? What could he do about it?

- - - - -

"Almost time," Piers murmured quietly to Sheba. The blonde-haired girl nodded and drew herself up from where she had been lying on her bed.

They had been planning this for the last couple of days. It was the only chance they had... the next time the guards came for Sheba could be the last time Piers ever saw her, for all they knew. It was far too dangerous to remain here any longer... they had to get out. Piers had a mission to complete.

He sat on the edge of his bed, glancing out of the cell door and listening intently for the booted feet of the approaching guards. Although he wasn't perfectly sure of the current time, he had guessed that it was almost time for Sheba's regular testing.

Sheba herself was extremely eager for this to happen. She had lost track of how long she had remained in this Proxian cell – day after day had passed by identically, and she had no way of truly differentiating one from the other. But Piers gave her hope... he seemed so determined. He was truly intent on helping her to escape, and for that she was bent on giving it her all.

Before, she had no chance. Now, with Piers aiding her, she might just make it out alive.

They both jolted at the sound of approaching boots, and their heart rates seemed to double. Piers moved towards the cell door, preparing himself for their plan. Sheba remained where she was, knowing that it was all part of the arrangement.

They had one shot. If it failed, that could be the end. But that didn't matter – Piers intended to do this. There was no other acceptable alternative.

Four Proxian guards approached the door and opened it up. One silently gestured for Sheba to come. Stubbornly, she continued to sit on her bed, motionless. The second guard hissed in vexation and moved into the cell, his arm outstretched to grip hers.

Then Piers made his move. Without hesitation he leapt to his feet and charged at the three waiting guards, catching them by surprise. They had countered his protests at Sheba's treatment before, but never had they seen him do something with this ferocity. The first guard, who had opened the door, was struck full-on by the force of Piers' tackle. Unable to react in time, Piers grabbed him and threw him out the open door, striking the other two guards in the process.

Following Piers' lead, Sheba got up and jumped at the guard who was already in the cell. She was smaller and not as strongly built as her Lemurian companion, but she was certainly resolute in her advance. With a yell of pent-up rage she lunged at her captor, grabbing him by the throat and forcing him to the floor. She stood up and kicked him hard in the base of the neck, eliciting a yell of pain. She kicked once more, then turned to aid Piers without waiting to see the damage she had dealt.

Piers was out of the cell, holding back the two standing guards. The first guard was still on the ground, recovering from his daze. The other two charged at Piers simultaneously, getting him from both sides and pinning his arms to his torso. They might have been successful, had Sheba not intervened.

With surprising force she rushed at the guard grabbing Piers' left arm, gripping his shoulder tightly and pulling him away. The momentary diversion allowed Piers to free his arm, and he used it to the strike his other captor in the chest. It wasn't enough to force him off entirely, but the man did loosen his grip enough to allow the Lemurian to sidle out of it.

All of a sudden, the air was pierced by a crackling sound. Sheba span around to face the source of the noise, and immediately hesitated – the guard whom she'd knocked down inside the cell had drawn and activated an energy blade. Gritting his teeth in anger, the man advanced towards her, his three-foot blade casting a purple glow along the hallway.

Piers saw the oncoming weapon as well, but unlike his companion he didn't hesitate. Instead, he saw the need for action, otherwise Sheba could be killed. Grabbing the nearest guard's arm, he dragged the stunned man and shoved him into the oncoming blade wielder.

There was a loud, sickening sound of sizzling, and the guard screamed. Piers' unexpected maneuver had placed his upper torso on the tip of the other man's weapon. The other three guards hesitated at this new situation, while the fourth struggled to extricate himself from the lightning-like sword. Blood dripped to the floor, forming several small puddles on the otherwise clean tiles.

Taking advantage of the momentary inactivity, Sheba continued her charge and slammed herself into the blade wielder, grabbing him around the midsection and carrying him to the ground. With a sickening pop the energy blade freed itself from the torso of the other guard and fell to the ground. Sheba pulled herself up and sharply stomped on the man's arm, keeping it pinned to the floor and leaving the weapon useless.

The two uninvolved guards were in motion again. Piers advanced towards them.

"Go for help!" the energy blade user cried at them. "GO!"

Without waiting, the one furthest away from the escaped pair turned and sprinted down the hall, with the other tagging behind at a slightly less breakneck speed. Piers quickly intercepted him and punched him squarely in the temple, knocking him out of alignment and carrying him into the wall. The Proxian guard's head connected with the floor and he toppled backwards, unconscious. A small trickle of blood leaked from his mouth, and a red patch had appeared on the wall at head height.

Meanwhile, the other guard skidded around a corner and disappeared from sight. Piers knew that it was pointless pursuing, so he instead crouched down beside his felled opponent and checked his belt. Another energy blade was clipped to it, so he appropriated this and thumbed the activation switch. A light blue stream of energy erupted from it, coalescing into a blade about a metre in length.

Following his example, Sheba reached down and grabbed the still-active blade of the other guard, who had ceased his struggles under the Laliveran girl. She curiously inspected the purple blade for a short moment before standing up and placing on foot on the guard's chest.

"I think that's got them," she said to Piers. Glancing at the wounded man, who had his hands pressed against the damage to restrict the blood flow, Sheba shook her head. "What do we do with them?"

"We can't stay here for long," Piers said quietly. "In a minute that other guard will have security swarming all over us. We'll lock them in the cell and make a break for it."

Sheba nodded and pulled the man beneath her to his feet, slowly waving the active energy blade in his direction. "Get inside the cell. Right now."

The Proxian didn't need to be asked twice. Sending a hate filled glare her way, he moved into the cell, taking the injured guard with him and carefully inspecting the wound. Piers dragged the unconscious man after them and dumped him just inside before stepping out and slamming the door. It locked itself with an audible click, and he nodded.

"Now we go." He thumbed the activator of his energy blade and gestured towards the path opposite to which the running guard had taken. "Let's go!"

Pulling Sheba with him, Piers broke into a run and tore down the corridor of cells as fast as his legs could carry him. Sheba trailed at a short distance, unable to move as fast as the older Lemurian.

"Do you have any idea of the way out?" Piers asked her.

Sheba shook her head, realizing too late that he hadn't seen the gesture. "No, I don't. Let's just hope for the best!"

Abruptly the cell block ended, leaving them with entry to a stairwell. It only led upward, so Piers assumed that they were in a level below ground. Of course, he could have been wrong... he might have been racing towards a dead end. Nonetheless, it was the only option that they had...

He took the chance and ran up it, with Sheba right at his heels. It led up for a short while before delivering them to another hallway. Piers glanced up, but so no additional levels – this was the only way off.

"Think we'll make it?" Sheba asked, excitement rising in her voice.

"We'll damn well try," Piers replied quietly.

Keeping his deactivated energy blade close at hand, he advanced down the hallway, not bothering to slow down. He was likely the only Lemurian other than Alex in this place, and Piers was aware that he looked fairly different. Add to that Sheba's presence, which was unexplainable, and it removed the option of stealth.

The hallways were coloured white, and were so spotlessly clean that they had a sickly quality to them. It was almost eye-deadening, and Piers found himself paying less and less attention to his surroundings because of it. He shook his head to clear it and smiled slightly – an interesting little trick.

One that had succeeded all too well.

Piers had been so oblivious to the details around him that he had failed to notice the partially concealed doorway embedded in the wall nearby. Without warning a sharp force struck him in the side, knocking him to the floor and elicited a cry of pain from the Lemurian agent.

A Proxian guard had tackled him to the ground, and was already bringing an energy blade to bear. Piers struggled, but knew he would be unable to free himself from the man's grip in time.

Suddenly, the man stiffened and crumpled to the ground. A thin trail of blood trickled out of his mouth, and his breathing ceased. Sheba stood above him, her still-active energy blade buried in his back. Her face bore a wide-eyed look of shock, and the knuckles gripping the handle of the weapon were rapidly turning white.

Piers shoved the dead man off him, and glanced at Sheba. From her stunned expression, she had never taken a life before... her reaction was understandable. He stood up and faced her.

"Sheba, are you alright?" he asked her, concerned.

Shaken though she was, Sheba gave him a fast little nod. She gulped slightly before withdrawing her weapon from the prone body of the Proxian and staring at it stupidly. She was visibly shocked by the sudden action.

"Listen," Piers said quickly. "I understand that you've just taken a life... I can understand what you're feeling right now. I've been there too... it's not a pleasant feeling. But you have to understand... you saved my life. He probably would have killed me for trying to escape. You did a good thing by your actions.

Sheba gulped again, then shifted her gaze to match his.

"I...he... they've... kept me here for a while now..." she looked at the ground for a moment, then at the body, then at Piers again. "They don't seem to have emotion... they completely disregarded me as if I... I was nothing." Once again her eyes traveled around, taking in the various objects around her. "Perhaps it's fitting if I do the same..."

Piers shook his head. "That's probably not the best idea... but we must get out of here. We can talk more once we're safely away."

Sheba nodded quickly again. Almost without realizing it, she glanced down at the body again. She noticed something attached to his belt... an energy pistol. Surreptitiously she grabbed it and tucked it under her shirt. Her reactions were strange... they happened almost without her realizing. Perhaps she was still in shock.

Piers broke into a run again, and the Laliveran continued to follow him. Her mind was suddenly all over the place... she'd taken a life. Was it a one time thing... or would it continue? Was she destined to kill again? Would she end more lives for the sake of preserving her own?

Looking forward at the Lemurian before her, Sheba's mouth twitched as a smile tried to make her face. Piers had saved her from the Proxian cell. He had risked himself to save her. He was a brave man... if it meant that she had to kill in order to save his life... then she would do it.

Piers glanced down all the side passages, but didn't see anyone. It was surprising – he had expected this place to be a little more active. Perhaps the experimentation was confined to other, more restricted area. If that was the case, then this place was probably closer to the entrance. Then again, he couldn't be sure of that...

Ahead, the hallway veered to the left, leaving Piers unable to see what was ahead. As he continued moving, it all became clear... the hallway expanded into a large area. Several small paths led from that, as well as one larger hallway that seemed to be an exit. The central podium was dominated by what looked like an information desk, which was being monitored by three attendants.

However, it was also under heavy protection. At least a dozen other Proxians were scattered around, all wearing uniforms similar to the guards that had kept Piers and Sheba in captivity. Two more people were entering, moving towards the information desk.

One guard looked upward and caught sight of them, staring in numb shock for a moment. Once he recovered he cried out and reached for his belt, drawing an energy pistol from it's holster. At the sudden call, the other guards quickly followed suit, with three others reaching for pistols and the others drawing energy blades.

"Uh oh," Piers muttered. "We can't do much against pistols!"

"Yes we can!" Sheba declared suddenly, drawing her acquired pistol out from beneath her clothing. She pointed it at the guard with the pistol closest to bear, and squeezed the trigger...

But the weapon failed to fire.

The Proxians, on the other hand, knew exactly how to use theirs. They brought them to bear and begin firing. Piers quickly grabbed Sheba's arm and threw them both to the ground, scrambling for whatever cover he could find. All he could find was a small bench at the edge of the room, so he drew them behind that.

"Where did you get that thing?" Piers asked her, incredulous.

"From the man I... killed," Sheba murmured. "Why doesn't it..."

"Here," Piers said, gently prying it from her grasp. "You have to activate the power pack first... I'll explain later. Just let me use this."

Comprehending that their targets were not just going to expose themselves, the Proxians shouted out commands to each other. Two of the energy blade wielders peeled off from the main group and ran down separate passages, apparently calling for reinforcements. The others positioned themselves behind the information desk, out of range from pistols but ready to come out and fight if necessary.

The pistol-users separated, each taking their own approach towards the two escaped prisoners. Two of them continued to fire occasional shots at the bench, burning holes in the metal object but never piercing through entirely. In the meantime, the others approached from different angles, hoping to pin the two between three sets of guns.

Piers cocked the barrel of the pistol and drew it back with his palm, making it click and hum. A small red light began to glow on the side, signaling that it was ready to begin the destruction that it was manufactured for.

"Sheba, get your blade ready. I'll take out as many gunners as I can, then we break for it. Try and stop the blade users from attacking us as we run... you don't have to kill them. Just protect yourself. Got it?"

Sheba nodded and gripped her weapon tightly, keeping the purple beam away from her companion.

Piers sidled up to the edge of the protection provided by the bench and lined up his pistol with the closest guard, firing three quick bursts. The first two passed to either side, but the third struck the man in the arm, making him cry out and drop his pistol in surprise. The fourth shot caught him just below the base of the skull, burning a hole clean through and dropping him lifeless body to the floor.

Suddenly cautious, the other gunners dropped back and tried to take cover as quickly as possible. Piers threw himself to the other side of the bench and squeezed off two shots at the other gunner there, slicing through the hip with his first shot but missing the second. The man lost his balance and came to a crouch, but was quickly up and out of sight.

"They're taking cover," Piers said to Sheba. "We can't wait... go now! I'll cover you!"

Without waiting, Piers poked his head and his blaster over the bench and fired a blind shot, missing the retreating Proxians by at least a foot. Sheba got to her feet and left the cover of the bench, running as fast as she could around the rim of the room. Two of the gunners saw her break and trained their guns on her, forgetting Piers for the moment. A big mistake – a shot to the chest threw one to the ground, knocking out and possibly killing him.

The Proxian guard that hadn't noticed Sheba continued firing at Piers, who had risen a little more. He fired three shots in rapid succession, successfully striking Piers' shoulder with the second. The Lemurian agent cried out and stumbled, losing his aim and making his next shot miss it's mark. By sheer coincidence, the bolt of energy caught one of the desk attendants in the temple – he had been curious as to how the gunfight fared.

Sheba continued to run, but she slowed her advance as one shot came close to her. By this time, Piers was standing and following in her wake, firing as quickly as he could at the two gunners.

As if on cue, four more Proxians poured out of one of the entrances. Two raised ranged weapons, while the others thumbed their energy blades into activation.

It was going to get very complicated in a very short time.

"Keep going!" Piers screamed at Sheba, who didn't need to be told twice. He fired another few shots, noticing that the power pack for his weapon was below half full. It would need recharging or replacing very shortly... hopefully he wouldn't have to worry about that.

The next shot of his caught one of the original gunners in the stomach, making him fold over from the impact. The man hit the ground and screamed out in pain. The final guard of the original four carefully aimed his weapon and fired...

Sheba uttered a loud cry of pain and collapsed to the floor, clutching at her knee. She dropped the purple energy blade, which struck the ground with considerable force and deactivated itself.

"Sheba!" Piers yelled out, running up to her and skidding to a halt. Before the gunner could fire again, the Lemurian snapped off one final shot, which caught him somewhere in the torso and flung him to the ground. He didn't move.

"Sheba, are you okay?" Piers demanded, even though he could see that she wasn't. Her kneecap looked damage, and blood poured freely from the wound, pooling around her leg. One of the tendons looked burned... he doubted she'd be able to move quickly enough to get away.

Suddenly, the Laliveran girl grabbed for the gun in his hand, wresting it from his grip and pulling herself into a sitting position. With a cry of fury she began pumping what limited shots the power pack had remaining into the assembled guards that had been waiting near the information desk. At least two fell, but the rest rose up and charged with a loud cry.

"Get out of here!" Sheba yelled to Piers.

"What about you? I promised to get you out of here!"

"It's too late for that!" she roared, continuing her firing frenzy. "You have some mission, right? That's more important than saving a captive girl who's worth nothing! Get out of here or we'll both be killed, you understand me?!"

Piers gulped at the ferocity in her words. He hadn't expected to hear her speak in such a way... he had no choice but to nod. Gripping his energy blade tightly, he stood and continued running.

"Stay alive!" he yelled back as he made a break for the main passage, throwing himself at the doors and forcing them open. He continued his mad dash out of there, avoiding the few pistol blasts that came his way.

He ran as fast as he could, suddenly finding himself at a larger set of doors. They were open slightly, exposing him to a blast of icy, chilling air the moment he stepped close. Gritting his teeth, he walked through, finding himself out in the open.

Piers was in the wilderness of the Proxian region. He couldn't hesitate now... in moments, there would be Proxians pursuing him by the dozen. He continued his mad dash into the nearest safe looking area – a snow-covered forest just nearby the installation.

As soon as he was concealed in the trees and out of sight from whatever Proxian might be out there, Piers collapsed onto the snowy ground and cursed. He had escaped... for the moment. The major task now was fleeing Prox and getting to Lemuria, which would take a considerable amount of effort. Especially for a Lemurian like him.

And he'd left Sheba behind. Snarling, he slammed his balled fist into the ground. He'd left Sheba behind... even after he'd promised to get her out. Even if it was her choice, it made no difference. She was still in there – trapped at the very last moment. Who knew what might happen... what experiments they would conduct on her...

Piers sighed and closed his eyes, fighting back tears. Was his escape really worth it...

- - - - -

The pain was indescribable. Sheba had experienced pain before, but never of such magnitude. It burned through her body and soul like a wildfire, making her lose control of her nerves temporarily and forcing her to shudder and twitch. Her knee was ruined... there was no way she could get out.

So she was fighting back in the only way she could. With manic ferocity. Blast after blast emerged from the pistol in her grip, quickly heating it and burning the skin on her hands. But she didn't care. Every shot could mean that one less Proxian would go after Piers.

Without warning, the pistol stopped firing. Sheba continued to rapidly thumb the trigger, but no more blasts emerged. The light on the side had faded... the power pack had died.

Seeing that they were no longer in as much danger, the Proxian guards quickly hurried forward and came up to her, grabbing the expended weapon away from her and yanking the energy blade from the ground. With a sudden sense of defeat, Sheba closed her eyes. She'd been recaptured. So close... but it had been nothing.

Tears welled up behind her eyelids, trickling between them and rolling down her face. It wasn't fair... it just wasn't fair. What was going to happen to her? What would they do to her?

"The injury doesn't look too serious," one guard was saying. "The little cow deserves it... she shot six of us. Group 3F was completely decimated."

"Well, at least she's got guts," a second said. "Perhaps we'd better take her to the boss ahead of schedule, rather than take her back to her cell."

"Good idea. You there, go inform Alex about the situation. We'll be bringing the girl to him shortly."

Sheba gave a low whimper at the mention of Alex's name. She was doomed... all hope seemed to vanish in her mind. She was doomed....

- - - - -

Mia drummed her fingers against the desk for a moment before hissing in vexation and swiveling in her chair. She was annoyed. There were a large number of people coming in recently... so many of them seemed to be having psychological difficulties all of a sudden. What was going on?

Her current employer had been so baffled by the sudden increase in patients. Something like a four-hundred percent rise in the last month alone. He'd been so desperate that he'd called Mia away from her duties as a secretary and had immediately placed her into a psychology apprenticeship, just so that he could get her assistance.

Sure, the pay was good, but it was extremely hard work. Especially since Mia hadn't even attended university yet... but here she was, performing at the level of so many full time professional psychologists.

The least that could have been given to her was a decent computer!

She sighed slightly and continued drumming away at the desktop, glancing anxiously at the computer screen. She absently chewed a fingernail in waiting, until the ancient machine finally finished calculating all the information and displayed it for her use.

Four hundred percent? More like five hundred. What was going on?

"This isn't normal..." Mia muttered, glancing at her watch. Eight fourty PM, local Imil time. She officially signed off ten minutes ago, but it was probably better for her to clear as much of this work as she could tonight so that the flood wasn't quite as bad tomorrow.

Five hundred percent. That was a lot of patients. So many people were coming in, complaining of sudden mental trauma. Unexplained mood swings, depression, total loss of sleep, and memory difficulties were just a few of the problems. They were springing up everywhere, and despite the efforts of both her and her current employer, Mia was unable to control them all.

In fact, they could barely figure out ANYTHING. It almost seemed like there was some consistency in the patients' sources, but they couldn't truly confirm anything... the events just happened. Memory loss seemed to be the most common, but they were certainly not the only ones.

Mia anxiously pulled the loose strands of light blue hair from her face and flicked them over her shoulder, carefully scanning the figures. It didn't seem to make much sense... Imil was hardly the largest city on the Angaran continent. Why had so many strange events been happening there lately?

Perhaps it had to do with that mysterious island...

She shook her head. That was just a bit of a tale, surely. It was so foggy around these parts that finding an island with some kind of installation on it was highly unlikely. She couldn't discount the possibility entirely... but that was not her concern.

Mia's concern was helping as many patients as possible, while still trying to stay awake and not collapse into a heap during the sessions.

She covered her mouth with a yawn before sighing and shutting off the computer terminal. The constant stream of work had been keeping her extremely busy lately... she needed a good night's rest first before she could properly function.

Picking up her things and draining the final dregs from her coffee mug, Mia flicked the light switch and walked of her office.

Something seemed unusual...

She stopped and glanced around, looking carefully at her surroundings. It all seemed to be in place... nothing was new, nothing was missing... so why was she so apprehensive? It wasn't like someone was just going to jump out and...

A strong arm suddenly gripped her around the waist, and Mia gasped at her sudden loss of breath. She opened her mouth to cry out, but suddenly something hard slammed into her face and gripped her nose and mouth tightly. She gasped inwards, suddenly taking in a strong smelling fume...

A sleeping substance... she was being kidnapped.

Trying to find some kind of strength inside her, she tried to free her arms and make a break for it. But the grip was far too strong, and she was suddenly feeling weak... her muscles were unable to support her weight and her legs buckled beneath her.

She could vaguely feel herself fall forward, held back only by the tight arm around her waist. She could only vaguely sense that she was rapidly losing consciousness...

Then there was blackness.

- - - - -

**Author's Note:** Ooh, a cliffhanger. I'm so evil. Mia is mainly there just so you know that I haven't forgotten her... she'll play more of a part later. And as for the Isaac fans, don't worry... he can't hide forever. I hope you enjoyed this chapter... more details will be leaked as time goes on. Leave a review on the way out, please – it makes me feel special. And note that this chapter was completed on my birthday... I thought I was supposed to get presents, not the other way around... oh well. Until the next time.


	5. Stage Two

**Author's Note:** I mentioned this in passing before the previous chapter, but... I'll be away from today to January 28. As such, this will more than likely be the last update of Project Psynergy in that time. Don't fret, however – I'll continue to write in my absence, and I should have a fresh new chapter once I return. I hope you're enjoying this story so far... I know I am. Here we go...

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 4: Stage Two**

The Elementalists called for him in the evening.

Isaac was tapping away various commands onto his laptop, sifting through the Lemurian Net for any information concerning Prox's activities that may have been uncovered. The experimentation that had been hinted at by the Elementalists didn't exist, however... either it was still considered classified material by the Lemurian officials, or it's existence was still unconfirmed.

He sifted a hand through his hair and sighed almost out of habit. He prepared to close up shop for the night when a small indicator beeped into existence on the corner of his monitor. A new message. Isaac glanced at it for a moment, then typed in a few short commands.

Almost immediately his system responded to the commands – all clear. No malicious content was stored on the message... or if it was, then it was far too advanced for his equipment to detect and remove. Isaac placed his cursor over the icon and clicked it.

The message blinked into existence on the screen, and Isaac gave it a cursory glance. Immediately his interest was piqued – the sender was marked as the Elementalists. Apparently his call to arms had finally arrived... the real fun was about to begin.

He skimmed through the message, absorbing the important points. Tomorrow, starting at 2pm – a skills evaluation and partner assessment. Absently, Isaac wondered if Jenna would be there. There was no guarantee that they would all be assessed simultaneously, so he may have been separate from her.

No matter. His partner didn't particularly concern Isaac – he was a quiet and solitary person to begin with. Still, it might have been nice to work and cooperate with someone that he could trust. Jenna seemed like that kind of person.

She was an enigma to him, Isaac realized. He had never before bonded with someone so quickly and easily... it was unnerving. There was something familiar about her... for whatever reason, he sensed that there was some kind of connection between them that ran deeper than this Net hacker stint.

He shook his head to clear it and returned his attention to the message. In this game, it was for the best if you played it alone. Nonetheless, the feelings remained, refusing to be brushed aside. Isaac sighed at their persistence and closed down his laptop, unhooking the wires that connected his machine to the rest of the world and then placing the belongings into their case.

Whatever the story was between this ethereal connection he and Jenna shared, Isaac surmised, he'd be able to delve into it further come the next day.

- - - - -

The call rang through the Proxian installation like a wildfire. Two prisoners had broken free of their cell and made a break for freedom. The girl from Lalivero had been recaptured at the entrance, but the Lemurian named Piers was gone.

Alex hissed as he read the report. He'd gone to a great deal of effort to rid himself of Piers... in the expedition to Tundaria, it had required a large amount of pulled strings to convince the crew that the 'mercenary' had tried to backstab them and destroy their mission. It had been even harder to keep his findings a secret, and transport them – as well as his drugged captive – to Prox. He had followed shortly afterwards, tying off the last loose ends he had remaining in Lemuria and freeing him from his previous ties to the powerful Empire.

He amended that thought sternly. Powerful Empire? More like ignorant. There were so many things in this world that they were completely unaware of... well, that was their own fault. His own people were blind to the truth of the world. To Alex, his people were absolute idiots. They were nothings.

The Net? Bah. Whatever 'wonders' the Net managed provided were completely washed away by the cesspool of corruption it had inspired. Countless millions of dollars were poured into it's upkeep and expansion every year... and for what purpose? It provided nothing beneficial to anyone. All it did was allow some nothing to swell his own personal sense of self-satisfaction for two minutes with yet another page that no-one would ever visit. Pointless.

The people of Weyard could not see this, though. They praised the Net like a deity or some kind of higher power, blind to the facts. Unlike him, of course. He, Alex, would show his own kind just what they had done wrong. He would expose to them why they should never have stooped so low as to control the world with their stranglehold on the Net society.

Those now dead knew far more than the living. The people of the past were exponentially more advanced than current civilizations. They were so powerful that they were able to see the path of self-destruction that humans were destined to take, and preserved themselves by simply removing their own existence from the equation. A costly sacrifice, but they had forestalled the remainder of Weyard from gaining what they had.

That was a pointless undertaking, in his own opinion. He'd already found them, and he'd seen just what use they could be. A destroyer of the world? No, a saviour. Given time, he could take what the ancients used and bring about a true Golden Age.

Alex glanced once more over the report before taking a seat and pushing the irrelevant document away. Certainly, this escape attempt was a loss, but it was not too costly. A prime subject would simply be reverted to Stage One, and a Lemurian agent had escaped before realizing what in Weyard was going on. He had discovered nothing of any use, so it didn't particularly matter if he was gone.

Alex allowed himself a slight smile. Ah, that Piers. He had been a convincing actor... he played the part of a mercenary well. Thankfully for the ex-Lemurian, however, he had been suspicious of him the entire time. There was always something wrong with his subterfuge... some kind of sign that exposed the guileful deceit that clouded all other minds to the simple truth.

Truth. A simple word – one used very easily by so many. The subtleties of it's meaning went far deeper than what most realized, however... over time, Alex had learnt to see these meanings, and discover just why the humans who relied on the simple truth were nothing but powerless pawns.

He'd show them.

A loud beeping noise went off for precisely three seconds before shutting itself off again. Alex nodded to himself and straightened in his chair, waiting.

Three... two... one...

The door to Alex's office slid open silently, revealing a small entourage of four Proxian guards. Two were carrying a girl on a stretcher, while the other two remained in a careful defensive stance close by. Their eyes remained focused on the passages leading into and out of the room, as well as observing the girl herself. It was important that they not let her get out again.

"Sir, we managed to intercept this one just as she was attempting to flee the installation." The Proxian guard who had spoken opened his mouth to continue, but the Lemurian held up a hand to forestall it.

"Don't worry, I've already received and read through a report. It is a shame about the losses... I suppose I should have known better than to place them in the same cell. Notify their families, and give them a proper burial." Alex shook his head. "Nonetheless, what is the girl's situation?"

"In her escape attempt, we managed to shoot her knee. It's a little damaged, but we should be able to repair it without restricting her movement in the future."

"Good."

Alex stood and proceeded to move around his desk, coming to the side of the stretcher and peering down at the injured girl. She was breathing heavily, but didn't seem to be affected otherwise. She was awake, and fervently avoiding his gaze. He chuckled at her squirming attempts.

"Don't worry Sheba, I don't bite."

Sheba slowly turned her head towards him. There was a look of determination in her expression, surprising Alex. He fought the urge to take a step back. When he had last seen her during the previous day, her eyes had always borne a wild look of fear and uncertainty, and she had always seemed very subdued and docile. In such a short time she looked ready to rear up and strike him – a most interesting change. Apparently, Piers had more charisma than Alex gave him credit for.

"What are you going to do to me?" she whispered.

Alex laughed. "You needn't worry about that, dear girl. Your actions have already decided your fate... it is a shame." He sighed slightly, watching Sheba's determination give way to confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's simple, really. Before you consorted with the Lemurian agent and attempted to escape, you were destined to be one of the proud. A figure for which all the people in the world would have looked to with respect and awe. But... you did attempt to escape. Doing so essentially closed the doorway to the superior life I was to grant you." He leaned in closer. "You could have been everything. Now you will become just another nothing."

Alex turned away from the stretcher and walked back to his desk, taking his seat once again. He picked up some papers and absently shuffled them, trying to look important.

"Your orders, sir?" one of the guards asked.

"Patch up her knee as best you can," Alex commanded. "Once that's done, accelerate the plans. She's being excluded from Stage Two – reduce her to Stage One and perform it immediately."

The Proxian guard nodded and took up his position beside the stretcher. The small group rotated and proceeded out of the door.

Alex nonchalantly watched them leave, then sighed slightly and continued reading.

"Why is it that humans are so foolish..." he muttered.

- - - - -

Garet pored over the newspapers, desperately searching for any new job that might take him in. He hissed in vexation as, once again, his browsing turned up nothing worth doing.

It wasn't fair. He'd been innocent! Drinking on the job? That was stupid! Garet knew he wasn't the brightest person in the world, but there was no way that he would be so thick-headed as to drink on the job!

He slammed his fist onto the desk and growled. No-one had believed his story. The cameras showed no signs of tampering, and there was no evidence that there had been someone in the building with him, but he hadn't just imagined it. The images implanted in his mind weren't just alcohol-induced fantasy... were they?

No, Garet amended firmly, they weren't. He was still seventeen... he wasn't even _able_ to legally acquire alcohol at his age. And since he was trying to conserve what money he earned as best as possible, he wouldn't go out and waste good coin on something as trivial as that.

It had been a set-up. Whoever had taken down the cameras and clamped chloroform to his nose had done it to hide whatever had really occurred. Nothing had disappeared, however. Everything was in place, the correct numbers of items were discovered, and no computer tampering had been detected.

And so Garet had been fired. His parents had grounded him, his brother Aaron had made fun of him, and his sister Kay simple gave him a sympathetic look whenever he passed by.

Whoever had done that to him... there were no words to describe the rage that Garet felt towards the unseen individual. Things looked like they might work out for him, and then out of the blue comes this. There was no doubt to the Valean that, should he come face to face with the perpetrator, no force in Weyard would be able to hold his fist back.

The front door of his home opened, letting in Kay. She was laden down with a few shopping bags, and she gripped a small bundle of letters in between two of her fingers. Panting with the effort, she lifted the items onto the nearby counter and flexed her fingers before turning to him.

"Find anything?" she asked Garet, giving him that sympathetic look. Apparently, she was the only one who wished him good at the moment.

"Nothing that I could really get," he muttered in reply. "And a few I wouldn't touch even if the only other option was to die."

"That bad, huh?" Kay said. "Maybe this will cheer you up." With that, she handed him an envelope. "This was in the mail when I got home. It could be a reply from one of the jobs you applied for."

Garet read the address and his name before flipping the letter around in his fingers and tearing it open from the back. He pulled the piece of paper from the envelope and read it. After reading for a short time, his dour expression turned to a grin.

"I got it!" he exclaimed, eliciting a smile from Kay.

"Which one was that?" she asked him.

Garet flashed her a toothy grin. "Madra Police Department."

- - - - -

Saturos advanced calmly down the antiseptically white passageway, following in the wake of the two other Proxians who were leading him to his destination. They were dressed in grey and white uniforms emblazoned with a blue insignia that resembled a hollow diamond inside a circle. He noted how similar they were to the uniforms he had worn during his military service... signs of the impending plans that Alex had prepared?

Menardi followed him closely, equally calm but also highly curious. Her eyes flicked from one object to another, taking in everything that seemed even remotely interesting about the compound. There wasn't very much to observe, but nonetheless she did so anyway. Saturos glanced over his shoulder and smiled inwardly at her innate curiosity – she was always so intent on picking out everything from her surroundings. That wide-eyed stare of hers was almost cute.

Returning his attention to the passage in front of him, Saturos looked at the guards once more.

"Do you know if the others have arrived yet?" he asked one of them casually.

"One has," the man on the left replied. "Not surprising, since he took up employment here just after being selected. His name is Agatio. The other one hasn't shown up just yet."

Saturos nodded. Agatio... he'd heard of the man before, during his military days. He was said to be an excellent martial artist. It probably wasn't surprising that he'd been selected – Alex seemed to be a highly efficient person, and so he would have made sure that his Stage Two... representatives... would be of varied skills. That would make it much easier to analyze the results.

He sighed. Saturos wasn't too fond of the idea of being a lab rat, but if Alex pulled this operation off successfully... well, it would be worth it in the end.

Once again, he glanced back at Menardi, taking in his companion's energy pistol at her belt. Or rather, the empty holster – Alex was no only efficient, but he was highly cautious, especially after the shooting incident that had occurred the previous day. Although exact details of the incident had been censored from local news, Saturos wasn't too keen on believing what he heard.

He found it highly unlikely that he could believe anything in the news these days. After all, Alex had more or less controlled all information in Prox since his arrival. Most likely, a lot more had occurred than people realized.

Saturos only now realized just what kind of a stranglehold Alex had established over Prox. And the entire populace followed him willingly... blindly, even. It was a scary thing to comprehend. One man – a traitor, no less – had moved in and wrested control of everything from the Proxian government, taking control of their future in his hands. And the people followed him, hoping that he could restore them to their previous glory...

There was a lot of room for speculation. Why was Alex so keen on doing all this? Did he really want to see Prox in power... or was there some kind of ulterior motive driving his actions?

Whatever it was, Saturos vowed to keep his eyes open. And, he reckoned, the best place to observe something happening was to be there as a part of it all, when it did happen.

The passage ahead ended suddenly, bringing the group to bear at a large steel door. The guard on the right flicked his wrist forward suddenly, producing a keycard which he slid through a slot on the wall beside the door. A small patch of metal opened, revealing a keypad. He tapped a combination into it, and the door beeped twice before sliding open.

The two guards beckoned, so Saturos and Menardi stepped forward into the room. The door closed itself behind them, locking tight. Like the rest of the facility, this room was a dull white colour. Unlike the rest of the facility, however, this was not something that numbed someone's senses. Something about this room demanded attention.

It looked somewhat similar to an operating theater in a medical centre. There were four tables lined up closely, with a series of complex looking machines attached to smaller desks right beside them. The walls were covered with all sorts of paraphernalia of a medical nature – syringes, scalpels, bandages, and other such pieces of equipment were stored in drawers.

The most eye-catching thing, however, were the canisters filled with a glowing red substance. A dozen of these canisters had been carefully loaded into a padded crate and placed before the tables. They shimmered with a fiery radiance, and even though they were completely inanimate... Saturos was instantly captivated by them, as if they possessed a commanding presence that was normally reserved for royalty.

As was usual, Menardi was taking this all in, her eyes catching all the minute details. Even so, her attention seemed to be focused on the canisters – like Saturos, she was almost being pulled to them through some ethereal force.

"This is it?" Saturos murmured.

The two Proxian guards nodded.

"That's correct. This is Project Psynergy." One of the guards pulled a small device from his pocket and tapped three buttons on the side before returning it to it's previous location. "We've informed Alex that you've arrived. They'll probably bring Agatio next."

"Any word on Karst?" Menardi asked.

"I'm not sure." The guard shrugged apologetically. "If she's arrived, then the front desk will have her brought her in short order."

Menardi nodded and glanced at Saturos. "Nervous?"

"Not really. I might be when I find out what they're going to do with those canisters."

Without warning, the door slid open behind them, and the four assembled turned around. Standing in the opened passageway was Alex, and accompanying him were four Proxians. They weren't dressed in the guard's uniform, though – if anything, they liked like scientists.

"Good afternoon," the Lemurian said curtly to Saturos and Menardi with a mock little bow. "I trust you're both feeling well?"

"Well enough," Saturos answered, while Menardi nodded.

"That's good to hear." Alex smiled slightly. "Well, since you're here, Stage Two can officially begin. Would you like an explanation of what's going to happen while we wait for Agatio and Karst?"

They both nodded.

"Very well." Alex sidled past them and took a position besides the crate of red canisters. He tapped one with his index finger gently. "I learnt something in my travels exploring ancient sites for the Lemurians. Long before currently recorded history, humans were much more harmonious with Weyard than they are currently. They were in tune with the world so much, in fact, that they could even manipulate it as they saw fit. According to written legends, anyway."

Alex's smile widened. "An impossible sounding feat, no?"

"I guess so," Menardi said.

"Tell me the truth," the Lemurian chided. "You wouldn't have said that if you had no knowledge of what is taking place. You think it's a completely foolish idea, and it's merely a legend. Am I right?"

Saturos chuckled. "Point conceded."

"Right." He continued tapping the canister for a moment before drawing one from the crate, holding it up to a light and inspecting the contents carefully. Under more illumination, the two Proxians noticed that it seemed to be swirling slightly, as if it was a liquid.

"After more research, however, I discovered something highly interesting. This practice is not mere mythology – it actually happened. The ancients commanded the forces of nature with their minds, shaping it by willpower alone. How?"

Alex lowered the canister and held it out to Saturos.

"With these."

"And what are these?" Saturos asked, looking dubiously at the glass object.

"I'm not sure of a name – I never found an official title in the documentation that I discovered. As such, I named this substance myself. Since it is supposed to be based around the will of the mind, then I have called it Psynergy. Hence the title Project Psynergy." Alex placed the canister back in the crate. "This substance is made from a kind of living bacteria which, I believe, actually had some relation to the forming of the world."

"What are you getting at?" the Proxian warrior asked.

"I'll get to the point," Alex said. "By adding this Psynergy to your physical structure, it is possible for people to manipulate the forces of Weyard with their mind, just like the ancients. In large amounts, and done correctly... think of the power this could give you." He smiled, which for some reason made Saturos and Menardi think of a viper. "Think what dominance Prox could achieve with this potential backing them!"

Saturos nodded. "Certainly an interesting idea."

Menardi, however, looked quizzical. "Hold on a moment. This is all hearsay, right? You don't actually know if this will work?"

Alex looked abashed. "That's correct... I don't really know. Well... I do, in a way. You are Stage Two, remember – there was, and still is, a prior stage, and currently we haven't had any unpleasant results. However, that's for a later plan. I'll be using the results of that experiment when Stage Two begins properly. In the meantime, you are the lab rats. We intend to supplement your genetic structure with this Psynergy directly, meaning you'll be able to use this almost straight away."

Saturos felt a pang of uncertainty grip his heart. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Then it doesn't work," Alex answered sadly. "Don't be worried for your safety, though. We're taking every possible precaution in this endeavour – I don't want you all to die. I've analyzed Psynergy personally to make sure that it's not dangerous to humans in it's current state. You'll be fine."

Once again, the door opened. Four more Proxian guards entered the room, accompanying two others that weren't dressed in similar uniforms. One was a tall, muscular man who looked as though he trained for several hours a day – Agatio, no doubt. Saturos and Menardi recognized the other, however – a red-haired woman of average height and build. She possessed a cat-like grace in her step, making her appear highly formidable even while unarmed.

"Hello sister," she said with a wide smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Hello Karst," Menardi answered back with an equally large smile. She embraced the slightly shorter young woman. "Glad that you could make it."

"You know me," Karst said with a slight shrug. "I just can't keep my nose out of trouble."

Saturos glanced around, noting that all of the guards had silently departed with the arrival of Agatio and Karst. All that remained now were the four scientist-types, the four assembled lab rats, and Alex himself.

"Well then," Alex said, moving to the side of the room. He flicked a switch on a wall, which increased the intensity of the lights above the operating tables. The scientists moved to the side of each, glancing over the assembled equipment. "There's not much of a point in delaying any further," Alex continued, "so if you'd please take a place on one of the tables here, we'll begin immediately."

Although slightly apprehensive, Saturos stepped up to a table at the same time as Agatio. Karst and Menardi hesitated for another second before moving up to join them. They pulled themselves atop the tables and laid down, looking up at the dull white ceiling.

When they were ready, the scientists got to work. Within moments, each of the lab rats had a small white device taped to their temples, which displayed some kind of result onto nearby computer screens. Saturos glanced over at them.

"A monitor for neural activity," Alex said, noticing the Proxian's wandering eyes. "When you start reacting to the Psynergy, we should be able to tell and control the implementation from this."

Saturos nodded slightly, returning his attention to the ceiling and trying to quell his fear. Even he experienced fear from time to time... despite what Alex had said regarding his safety, he could not place himself at ease. He was worried that something was going to happen. It just seemed too unlikely... too unpredictable.

Glancing around once more, Saturos' eyes met Menardi. She was also looking unsure of what was about to happen... apprehension marred her features, and she absently chewed her bottom lip.

As if detecting his gaze, she angled her head towards him. She gave him a nervous smile, and Saturos returned it. He wasn't the only one feeling emotion about what was to happen...

And what was to happen? If the Psynergy implantation went ahead successfully, what would become of them? Saturos felt a cold, numb feeling growing in his stomach at this thought. What was going to happen? Would Alex keep them trapped like lab rats, using them in more experiments? Or would they become like leaders among the Proxians for their newfound abilities?

Anything could happen. His life was no longer his own... Saturos belonged to Alex. Just like the whole country of Prox, he had also fallen into the grasp of the renegade Lemurian. Once an explorer, now a revolutionary of sorts... what did this man really want? Did he want to help Prox, or was their really an ulterior motive underneath his features?

The scientist monitoring him tapped his arm gently. Saturos turned to face him, forgetting for a brief moment about the pads on his temples and almost pulling one free. He could feel sweat accumulating around them... it wasn't just from the heat they generated, either.

"Excuse me," the scientist said, rolling up the sleeve of Saturos' shirt. "We need to limit your brain's activity during this process, so you'll be under an anesthetic."

"Okay," Saturos murmured. With some minor curiosity, he watched the scientist fit a small syringe head with a tiny capsule of clear liquid. He moved the syringe to the exposed underside of his elbow and pierced through, releasing the liquid into his bloodstream.

Almost immediately, Saturos felt himself go foggy. His arm tingled, and the sensation rapidly spread through his body. He felt himself becoming drowsy, and rapidly his consciousness slipped away. In moments he was gone.

- - - - -

Despite how hazy she felt, Mia knew that she had to get up quickly. She had been awake for only a short amount of time, certainly, but... she could recall being kidnapped. That was reason alone to get up and out of wherever she was.

Right now, she was lying face-first on a cold linoleum floor. Her face was beginning to hurt, so she rolled onto her back to bring her cheek away from the contact. Anxiously, she pulled herself into a sitting position and tried to look around. She could make out nothing... she was in a room of indeterminate size, and there was no light. The air was stale, as well, and Mia found it hard to breathe.

She swung her arm around in a wide arc, trying to touch a wall with her fingers. The tips of her fingers scraped against a roughly hewn stone wall to her right, tearing the skin from them. She winced and gripped them tightly with her other hand, trying to suppress the pain. After a moment, she crawled over to the wall and leaned against it, listening to her own heavy breathes.

The darkness was terrifying... Mia could see nothing, and could hear nothing but her own harsh, ragged breathes. At the same time, her head was swimming, and she couldn't tell which direction was which... she was simply floating. Drifting in a sea of darkness, with no-one to turn to for support.

A sudden sense of loneliness gripped her heart tightly, and Mia felt a tear slide down her cheek. She'd been kidnapped. Why her? For what reason? Where was she? Thousands of questions like these flashed through her mind, dizzying her even further.

How long she stayed in that position, holding back her tears, Mia had no idea. It could have been minutes later, or hours, or even days... but finally, a door opened in the wall to her right and bathed her in blinding light. Her vision whited out for a moment, but the Imilian girl almost flung herself at the sudden illumination. The light was a relief... a freedom from the suffocating press of darkness.

Slowly, her gaze returned to normal, and she was finally able to see the linoleum beneath her. Before Mia could properly observe her surroundings, however, two rough arms gripped her below her armpits and lifted her to a standing position.

"Can you stand?" a male voice asked from behind her.

Mia tested her legs, finding that they could still support her weight. She gave a hesitant nod, and the arms gently released themselves from her. She glanced around, trying to find the person who had lifted her up.

Her eyes met the pale face of a Proxian.

Mia blinked stupidly. Of all people to be here during a kidnapping, she hadn't expected a Proxian. Absently, she realised that he had no clue if this person was involved, or if he was trying to help her.

"Good. Come with me." The Proxian span on his heel expertly and proceeded down a nearby corridor. Mia decided that anything was better than being placed in the dark cell again, so she shakily moved her legs and began walking after him.

As she followed the Proxian, her mind continued to drift hazily. What was going to happen to her...?

- - - - -

**Author's Note: **Phew, just made the deadline. I was afraid that I wasn't going to finish this chapter before I left – I've been really busy lately. Okay. Sorry that I won't be here for a while... updates will be few and far between. Nonetheless, I WILL have something for you when I return. Thanks for reading so far, and please drop a review!

**Review Responses **(Because I forgot last chapter)

**(Previous Chapter)**

**Older Chapter**

**::Anonymous::**

**Cheetah7071**

::abashed:: Heheh, thanks for the praise. Much appreciated.

**(Avari, wind seer)**

I'm really glad that you've been reading this far, and that you like how this is coming out so much. Thank you for your comments.

**Daidairo**

It's good to hear you'll keep reading regardless of romance. I'm still tempted to include some... BUT not until much later, so nobody bug me! Thanks again.

**Germs**

It's nice to hear that you like the originality – that's what I'm shooting for. As for the other characters, well, I've pretty much covered them now. But they'll all play a part eventually.

**Caster of Chaos**

Hooray, another person likes the story. I'm happy. Thanks for your positive comments.

**::Dianahnd::**

Well, it's good to hear that you want to keep reading, if nothing else. Thanks Diana!

**(Azususan)**

Yeah, I agree with you about the Sci-Fi fics. If you want a good one, read Shades of Conspiracy by Joker's Specter. It's awesome. As for the rest... well, I did intend to weave a web of subplots, but I'm glad you like it all the same. Oh, and I don't intend to kill off characters anytime soon, so Sheba will stick around. Thanks for your constant reviews!

**Joker's Specter  
**Hey, I'm glad you've finally read this! Yeah, I do intend for this to be a fairly long story – I consider myself a novelist, not a one-shot writer. Hope you keep reading!

**(Rozzlyn)**

Wow, it's nice to hear all these words of praise. Nothing really to say about that... just thanks for reading and going to all the effort of reviewing like that. Hope you keep reading in the near future!

**::Tasermon::**

Yes, I am aware that Alex hails from Imil. This is an AU, however, so I can bend the rules a little, and it was the only way to make it work. Regarding the lighthouses and Mt. Aleph, well... I'm going to have to keep you in the dark for that. Read on if you want answers.

**(The Faction's Lord)**

I don't know about the cliffhanger thing... practice, maybe? Oh well. And I can understand about the paragraph issue – unlike Eternal Skies, I have to keep separating the sections as the character perspectives change. No matter. I know I could do better, but I'm glad you think it's good anyway.

**(speshul ed)**

In all honesty, I hadn't intended for Sheba to kick so much butt. But it works, so she's doing it, and now she's my favourite character. Anyway, it's good that you like the concept of a modern Weyard. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments!

Until next chapter once again!


	6. Links

**Author's Notes: **Home never felt so good. Now before I collapse from jetlag, let me update for you. This chapter is a little shorter (again) since I didn't have as much free time as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 5: Links**

Mia continued walking after the Proxian, silently wondering if it would be possible to turn around and run the other way. But she quickly decided against it – although she had been a little uncertain of her surroundings, she was fairly sure that there weren't any other passages leading from her cell except the one they were taking now. And she had no desire to be thrown in the horrible dark room again.

Glancing ahead at the Proxian who had released her from the cell, something seemed to make Mia slow down. The man before her didn't seem to fit into this whole thing... he had light blond hair, and was a little shorter than her. His skin bore the pale, almost blue sheen that most Proxians did. But... somehow...

Mia stopped in her tracks when he turned around to face her. Absently, she realised they'd come to a crossroads – the single path split into three here, leading off into different directions.

"Are you alright?" the man asked her. "Are you hurt at all?" Only now did Mia comprehend just how much younger he sounded – there was easily a few years between them.

"Uh, y-yes..." she stammered in reply. "I'm okay..."

"That's good, because we need to get out of here." The young man looked up at her with his purple eyes. "I'm helping you to get out of here, but you have to do exactly what I tell you. Otherwise, we might not make it out of here. Understand?"

Mia blinked stupidly at him. Then what he had said to her properly sank in. "Escape? What do you mean?"

"I mean that I sprang you from your cell and an uncertain future," he explained. Then he shook his head. "Look, we don't have time to chat. I can explain it all when we're free. My name is Ivan, and you _have_ to trust me if you want to get out. Okay?"

Mia nodded hurriedly.

"And in case you're wondering, I'm not Proxian." Ivan tapped his cheek and held out his fingers, revealing that he had some form of appliqué on his face to alter the colour. "Now let's go. Keep moving unless I say so."

He gestured down the left path, and Mia quickly went down it. A moment later she felt Ivan grip her arm gently and lead her down. The cautious young man looked forward and backward frequently, making sure that no-one was observing the entire situation.

Mia realised that she was breathing heavily, most likely because she had no idea of what was going on. The only option she had was to follow this Ivan person and hope against hope that he really was trying to help her.

The path ahead continued as straight as a laser for several more metres before taking a sharp turn to the right. From that split in the path emerged a Proxian man in a sharp grey uniform. He was casually reading a document when he looked up and saw them. He carried a confused but unworried expression on his face.

He continued to do so as Ivan drew an energy pistol from his belt, took careful aim, and squeezed the trigger twice. Two red blasts of electrical energy fired from the barrel, and with deadly accuracy they struck the Proxian in the upper torso. The man was down before he even realised what had happened.

Mia stared open-mouthed at the fallen body, before glancing at Ivan. "Y-you just..."

Ivan looked over at her, his expression bland. "It's us or them now. I imagine what they have in store for you would be much longer and much more painful than the quick death I granted him. If you don't like it, return to your dark cell and I'll get out of here myself."

Mia continued to look at the younger man's face, taking in the seriousness and maturity of his features. He was no ordinary teenager like she was – he was far older than many people she'd known in her life, at least mentally. Ivan was certainly not a person to cross.

"Alright..." she murmured.

"Good." Ivan beckoned for her to come, keeping his free hand around her arm. The other remained wrapped around the handle of his pistol, and his eyes darted back and forth over the passages ahead and behind. Seeing that the coast was clear, he darted ahead, pulling the still stunned Imilian girl with him.

Mia was in a state of shock. It was the first time she'd ever seen a death like that... certainly not the first time she'd witnessed the end of a life, but the first time one had been taken before her eyes in such a cold-blooded manner. Nonetheless, Ivan's words burned into her mind, imprinting themselves in her subconscious. Had he not freed her, she could very well be in a much worse state.

What in Weyard were these kidnappers doing here?

Ivan led her onward, taking her past the crumpled body of the Proxian and into the passage which he had come from. It was strangely quiet... no-one else was present, and Mia started to get confused.

"Where is everyone?" she whispered to Ivan.

"Off-duty," he replied. "It's almost midnight now, so the Proxians are in the living quarters at the other end of the complex. The other guards are currently watching cameras and security systems that are at the moment displaying nothing but empty corridors. Anyone who chose to come along at this moment... well, that's their bad luck, I suppose.

Mia nodded, shocked even more by Ivan's words. Had he disabled the security systems as well? Clearly, he really wasn't just an ordinary teenager. She was beginning to feel more afraid of Ivan than she was of the other kidnappers... Proxians, Ivan had said.

She wanted more answers, but Mia pressed her lips tightly shut and tried to control the wild fear that was running through her. All in good time, she vowed to learn everything about the here and now that she could.

For several more minutes, Ivan led her through a series of twisting and turning passages. They encountered no-one else, though Ivan seemed to be taking many more loops and turns than seemed necessary. Perhaps it was simply caution, since that seemed like the kind of efficiency a person like Ivan would go through.

Finally, when Mia's quaking legs felt like they could take little more of this, she found herself looking out at the water outside the installation. The air was quite cool and the sky very dark, lending truth to Ivan's claim that it was almost midnight. Something about this scene tickled her memory... then she remembered the rumours of a hidden island off the shore of Imil. Perhaps they weren't just rumours or superstition...

Ivan didn't decelerate in the slightest, and he gently pulled Mia down onto a sturdy wooden platform leading out of the building they had been in and extending over the water. At the end was a small motor boat. Ivan gestured towards it.

"Quickly, take a seat in the cabin at the bow. You need to be out of sight for this."

Unquestioningly, Mia stepped onto the boat, trying to maintain her balance over the rocking water but failing and tripping to the floor. Shakily, she pulled herself to the front of the boat and through the small door, collapsing onto a small set of cushioned seats there. She was completely exhausted – she couldn't recall sleeping a minute while she had been in her cell, and she was unaware of how long she had been there.

Dimly, Mia realised that she could hear voices outside. She crawled up into a more comfortable lying position on the chairs, wrapping her arms around her knees and drawing them against her for warmth.

"Relax," came Ivan's voice. "It's nothing important – just a simple supply run. Look, here's the order from command."

There was a slight shuffling of papers, then another voice spoke up.

"Alright then. Seems fine. Oh, out of curiosity, have you seen a guard called Rikter recently? He wasn't at his post when I passed by."

"Nope, I haven't seen him," Ivan replied. "Sorry."

"No matter. Safe trip."

Then came the sound of booted feet striking the wooden platform for a moment, before it faded into the distance. A moment later, the boat rocked slightly, and the cabin door opened. Mia looked up to see Ivan peering in.

"Good. We're leaving now – feel free to rest there, since it'll be a fairly long trip. I'll explain everything when we arrive. Do you need food?"

Mia shook her head. "No. Just rest."

"Okay." Ivan nodded. "Sleep well."

He withdrew his head and closed the door. A moment later, the boat came alive as the motor hummed into existence. A dull noise and shudder passed through the boat, blocking out a lot of the other background features. In this surprisingly peaceful state, Mia closed her eyes and sought the comfort of sleep.

- - - - -

Karst was the first to wake. And she did not do so gently.

A loud scream ripped through the far corner of Alex's installation in the heart of Prox. Those present to hear it dropped their current tasks and glanced around in surprise, trying to determine what had just occurred. When the noise subsided and nothing else happened, the majority of the Proxians continued their work.

Alex, on the other hand, did not. He watched Karst closely from his seated position at the end of the room, where he had been seating throughout the entire procedure and then until this moment. Motionless, he observed her actions.

Karst's world was a pure hell. Her skin burned, and her head ached and throbbed with sharp pain. Her hands shot up to her aching temples, rubbing them furiously in an effort to numb the sting. All that did was make her fingers hurt, and so she stopped and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, giving out quiet gasps as she wished for it all to subside.

The horrible torture slowly eased off, and after a few minutes she was left with nothing more than a dull headache. The memory of the event still presented itself at the forefront of her mind, however, making her shudder at the thought of it all. Her fingers continued to dig into the flesh of her arms, and Karst continued to rock slightly, assuring herself that it had stopped.

Finally, minutes after her original awakening, she opened her eyes and stared at the room where she had lain for several hours. She didn't feel the same... she felt changed. She was completely aware that Alex had altered her, but she hadn't anticipated such a total distortion of how she felt...

Sensing her slow recovery, Alex stood from his position and stretched his stiff muscles for a moment before proceeding to her side. As he moved into Karst's peripheral vision, her head tilted towards him and she stared up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot, and occasionally her body gave a slight tremor, but he could see that she was otherwise okay. He smiled warmly down at her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like crap," Karst replied. She blinked her eyes against the light, wishing that she could return to sleep. Of course, the comforting blanket of darkness refused to envelope her, so she sighed and returned her attention to the Lemurian.

"I suppose it's natural," Alex answered. "The combination of anaesthetic and Psynergy probably created quite a strain on your body." He glanced to the side, mentally trying to recall the side effects left from Stage One. "Tell me, besides the physical feeling, is anything else different in your head? Memory loss, in particular."

Karst thought for a moment. "Not really. I can remember just about everything that I did before... but I don't feel normal. I can really tell in my mind that something has happened to me. I'm different... I really know that I'm different."

Alex nodded. "Again, I suppose that's natural. You've just been subjected to high-level genetic alteration, so I imagine that this feeling may persist for a little while. As for the actual results of the procedure, we'll..."

He was interrupted by another loud scream, this time male. Abruptly, Saturos sat forward, flinging his hands to his head and gritting his teeth against the powerful sensations of pain that he was suddenly experiencing.

"That's two," Alex murmured. "I think we might need earplugs for the..."

Once again, he was interrupted by another cry, this time from Agatio. The burly brawler arched his back and yelled, slamming his fists to the side of the table.

"We'll definitely need earplugs," Alex corrected himself.

"I'll say," Karst said, closing her eyes and pressing her fingers against them to shut out the pain ringing through her head from the loud noise. "Some headache pills would be nice, too."

"I'll see to that in a..."

A third scream. Menardi rose up onto her elbows, biting her lower lip hard and forcing her eyes shut.

"I really would like to be able to finish a sentence," Alex muttered.

"Would you three SHUT UP?!" Karst yelled at the others. Then she stopped. The ferocity in her voice wasn't natural to her. Anger seemed to be rising through her much easier than it had prior to these events... was that another side effect?

"Shut up yourself," Saturos muttered in reply, as Agatio groaned. "I'll bet you did the exact same thing when you woke up."

"Point conceded, but you're still being too damn loud."

"I must make sure that all personnel involved in Psynergy implementation sessions are equipped with earplugs," Alex said. "Otherwise most of Prox will be suffering from splitting headaches soon."

"Make sure they have headache pills too," Menardi added with a moan.

"That too." Alex clapped his hands and smiled. "Well, you're all awake. That's excellent – you're all alive and kicking, which is a good sign in this kind of business. That should do for today... tomorrow, we'll actually see how your body reacts to the presence of Psynergy."

"No work now," Agatio muttered. "More sleep is required."

"Understandable," Alex said curtly. "I'll have stretchers brought up here if you'd like, and we can take you to spare living quarters if necessary."

The four Proxians nodded their heads. All of them instantly regretted it for the added throbbing it caused in their skulls.

"Good. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Alex smiled at them all in turn, then proceeded out of the room, pausing only to tap something into a keypad on the nearby wall. The door opened, and he departed.

"He could have warned us it would be so painful," Saturos said.

"He couldn't have known," Menardi pointed out. "We're the first to undertake this level of Project Psynergy after all. And it's not like there's much he could do about it anyway."

"I know that," Saturos snapped. He hesitated for a moment, surprised at how harsh his natural reaction had been. "I just had to take out my grievances on someone, didn't I?"

"I guess so," Menardi conceded. "Who woke up first?"

"I did," Karst said. "Not by much, though. And my pain throes seemed to last longer." She grinned. "I wonder if that makes me the most powerful?"

"I could contest that," Agatio cut in. "You'd have to be pretty powerful in order to come close to me."

"Bah, petty words mean nothing." Karst leered evilly at him, though her grin remained firmly pasted on her face.

"Enough, you two." Saturos leaned back onto his table and sighed. "Let's just cool down for a while. From today onward, we'll have our work cut out for us, I expect. We're the first to get this Psynergy stuff, so we'll probably be tested like nothing else until they decide to shove this inside another group of lucky individuals."

"True." Menardi shrugged and followed suit. "Let's make use of the free minutes we get."

- - - - -

Alex continued down the hallway, away from the section of the experimentation chambers that the four Proxians were bickering in. Rather than leaving the chambers proper, however, he took a sharp turn to the left and headed towards an identical operating theatre.

Four out of four Stage Two subjects were alive and well. Good. That didn't mean that the perfect success rate would remain static in the near future, but nonetheless it was a good start.

Easily a good enough start to warrant what he, personally, was about to undertake.

At the end of the hall was a door identical to the one through which he had just left the Proxians, and Alex proceeded to type the correct password into the keypad. The doors slid open silently, and the Lemurian continued into the implementation chamber behind.

Two medical officers waited for him. He nodded in greeting to them both, and the first approached him.

"How were they?" she asked him.

"Perfect," Alex replied. "They're a little sore, but everything else went according to plan. And that means that this procedure will be going ahead."

The female doctor nodded. "I understand." She gestured to her colleague, who moved to a set of tables. He reached in and slid open a drawer, producing a canister filled with a glowing cerulean liquid. Another colony of the energy-producing bacteria... only this time, it was a different strain. A different kind of elemental power...

"As you know, this strain of bacteria produces the opposite energy from the type that the Stage Two subjects were exposed to," the doctor said warily. "While the implementation procedure is exactly the same, we cannot be certain that the intermediary effects will also be identical. So doing this could endanger your life... are you sure you want to proceed?"

"Of course," Alex said casually, unafraid. "After all, don't the best leaders command by example?"

"As you wish it, sir." She gestured to the table and took the canister from her colleague. "Take your place, then."

- - - - -

"Zero-zero-two-one-seven-nine-seven. Isaac."

The metal in the door at his eye-level closed, and on the other side of the door came the sound of a lock opening. The entrance slid open, and Isaac stepped into the room. The passageway which he was presented with differed from the last Elementalist holding he had been in. However, the doorkeeper was identical.

"Back again I see," the old man said, flashing Isaac a grin of broken teeth. "They didn't scare you away last time?"

"It's not a simple matter to scare me," Isaac replied nonchalantly, though his eyes were automatically scanning every little surface for threats. This fact was not lost on the doorkeeper, who chuckled.

"Don't worry," he said, "we're not out to kill you. Leave that for the bad guys, eh?" He extended his hand. "You know the procedure, I'm sure – no weapons until we give them to you for training."

Isaac slipped his energy blade off it's clip on his belt and passed it to the man before walking inside, blatantly ignoring anything that the doorman was going to say in regards to his laptop. He'd heard it all before, and he wasn't here to exchange passing jokes with a grizzled old man with too much time on his hands.

The meeting place was certainly different, since beyond the passageway was a small flight of stairs. Isaac leapt up them two at a time, not wishing to delay any further. There were better things that he could be doing if these Elementalists were not entirely serious about what they spoke of.

Still, he was interested in seeing Jenna again, if she was present. There was something lingering at the back of his mind every time he thought of her... something that was desperately important, but yet beyond his reach.

Isaac reached the landing at the top of the stairs and proceeded down the next hallway before coming to another door. Waiting beside it was another person – older than he was, certainly, but not by much. The person was working on his own computer, and glanced up only when Isaac approached to within a few feet.

"You're late," the computer-user said.

"No, I'm exactly on time," Isaac countered. "Your time keeping program must be wrong."

"I find that highly unlikely, but it's of no consequence. Number?"

"Zero-zero-two-one-seven-nine-seven. And I think that it's kind of redundant to ask me after the other doorman already did so."

"It helps to be cautious." The man shrugged and tapped a switch on the nearby wall, making the door slide open. "Go in."

Isaac did as commanded, finding himself in a room not dissimilar to the meeting hall where he had first signed up for the Elementalist operation. Only this time, the room was nearly completely empty. Along the far wall rested a long rectangular table and a few chairs.

The first thing that caught his attention was the Elementalist hacker – Ivan, if memory served – talking rapidly to a much older man seated at the table. Apparently, the discussion was not being favourable for the blond-haired teen; despite his veil of calm precision, Isaac could see just how increasingly agitated he looked. The older man evenly held his spectacled gaze to Ivan, rarely speaking.

The next thing he saw was Jenna. She was seated on the opposite side of the table from Ivan and the adult Elementalist, and was listening intently to their conversation. Besides her and the two debaters, there was no-one else in his immediate vicinity.

Isaac took on a casual air and approached the table, quickly drawing the gaze of the three.

"Isaac, I presume?" the older man said. When Isaac was close enough, he extended his hand. The teen hacker shook it. "Greetings. My name is Kraden. You know Jenna already, according to the papers you submitted, and I'm sure you know who Ivan is."

Isaac nodded. "You summoned me?"

Kraden glanced at Ivan, who held his gaze on his elder associate. "Yes. Forgive us for having not called to you and Jenna sooner... we've already evaluated everyone else several days ago. We held you back slightly because of your age since we supposed that older hackers would be slightly more skilled... forgive us for this, but you have to understand that most teens don't match Ivan here."

He nodded again. "I can understand."

"Good. We had intended to call you a little sooner, but then before we could conduct our tests... well, things have been happening quite rapidly as of late. He chuckled. "Very rapidly. Only days ago, I was a scholar of Lemuria... now here I am, helping to oversee a hacking operation. But I digress." He pointed to the seat beside Jenna, which Isaac took. The brunette girl flashed him a quick smile, which Isaac returned.

"Now then," Kraden said. "Because of these rapid events that I just mentioned, I'm afraid that we've had to step up a little bit. Rather than give you the tests that we saw necessary at first, we're going to place you directly in the field."

Isaac was slightly taken aback. "You're putting a lot of faith in us... I figured that you'd want to have a little more security than to just allow two off-the-street people to join."

"Others in the organisation have said the same," Kraden said. "But I'm afraid that we can't do that anymore. However, we supposed that because you are still both young then you're less likely to have been picked as an insurgent, meaning that you're much more trustworthy than many others who might be among us. Nonetheless, we have our ways to evaluate your skills."

Ivan interrupted at this point. "And your ways are insane. You can't expect..."

"Please Ivan," the elderly man said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm trying to make this a little less direct."

"We can't," Ivan insisted. "The moment the Proxians find that Mia has..."

"Ivan!" Kraden said loudly, making the younger man lapse into silence again. "Please calm yourself – all in good time." He glanced at Isaac and Jenna, who were watching the exchange curiously. "Forgive Ivan here. You'll understand shortly. In the meantime, there are things we need you to do."

"And what is that?" Jenna asked.

"The other potential members had to pass a test of sorts. Hacking simulations and combat situations... things like that. Since we can't do that at the moment, we'll have you go out on a mission with Ivan here."

Isaac could suddenly see why Ivan was getting agitated – if he was an elite who was reduced to babysitting two youngsters then he, too, would most likely get rather upset about the situation. Still, there may have been more to it. "What would this mission entail?"

"I'll give you a proper briefing on that now." Kraden picked up a manila folder from his lap and placed it on the table. "Inside that is the floor plan of a Proxian installation which was recently discovered on a small island north of Imil, on the Angaran continent. You'll be heading there shortly."

"That's a fair distance," Jenna commented. "Do you really have to send us that far?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You're aware of the experimentation we believe that Prox is conducting?"

"Project Psynergy," Jenna replied with a nod.

The three others turned to stare at her, and she quickly shied back from the sudden scrutiny. Ivan, especially, seemed very tense from the mention of those two words.

"...that name is extremely confidential," Kraden said with a small grin, which made Ivan sit back slightly. "You must have gained access to some fairly advanced sources in order to fish that name up."

Jenna nodded, and Isaac covered a smile with his hand. Inwardly though, he wished that he'd had the success that she had in order to come across something like that. He had found nothing even resembling something worthwhile, let alone a name.

"As I was saying. This experimentation project that Prox is conducting is still very much unknown to most people. We're probably the most knowledgeable non-Proxians in Weyard at the moment. Our information sources weren't picking up much in the way of useful hits, but then we found signs that may have indicated Proxian activity near Imil. Shortly after, rumours began to spread in the city about how they could see a colonised island to the north on very clear days. Since Ivan was getting bored of the minor crumbs being fed to us, we had him go out and explore the area.

"Ivan didn't just come back with information - he came back with an Imilian girl named Mia whom he had rescued from a cell in the facility there. Ivan also found that she was not the first to be abducted... several people in Imil were kidnapped, brought to the installation, and used in the experimentation process. After it is complete, they are returned to Imil. Mia herself reported several incidents of memory loss, mental trauma and extreme stress amongst many citizens of the city which could be attributed to side effects or even intentional memory erasing."

Ivan held up his hand. "You don't need to give them all the speculation, Kraden. Just tell them what they're going to be doing. We can worry about details when we return."

"Of course." Kraden shook his head. "Forgive me. I tend to get longwinded on occasion." The old man cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the Proxians have an installation on an island north of Imil. They're kidnapping people, experimenting on them, and then returning them with memory gaps. Ivan freed the only prisoner there at the time, but as such he was unable to entirely empty the data banks of the computer systems inside, meaning that we didn't get as much information as we could have. So, he's going back to finish the job. We want you two to assist him in this."

Isaac nodded once again. "That sounds reasonable."

Jenna, on the other hand, looked dubious. "Hold on. You're sending a top Elementalist hacker into a facility to steal information? That sounds a little... well, inefficient. If you have an agent inside then shouldn't you put the place out of action permanently? That would most likely slow Prox's activity, not to mention stop the abductions of Imilians."

Kraden looked pained for a moment. "Although that may sound like a suitable course of action, I'm afraid it's not quite that simple. Performing this kind of strike against the installation would trigger a massive warning signal in Prox. At best, they'd know that someone was onto them and step up their guard. Additionally, they'd probably just set up a new installation in that region anyway if it's of any importance to them – one that we aren't aware of. Despite everything, we need to remain secret."

Jenna instantly flared up, making Isaac recall the previous meeting when she had done the same to him. Apparently she could be quite temperamental. "There are people being used against their will in that installation! I wanted to join the Elementalists to help people, and if that costs us our secrecy then so be it! Isn't our aim to help them anyway?"

Ivan nodded. "I agree with Jenna, and that's exactly what I've been saying since I returned. Let's destroy the entire installation and send the Proxians packing. I mean, we can't expect to stay secret forever... eventually they'll learn of our existence, and now won't be any different from later."

Kraden interjected. "I'm sorry. I feel the same way you do on the matter. But I'm not really in charge here... the higher-ups are passing this onto me, so I have no real say about how this is run. You'll just have to do what they say."

Jenna sighed. "If you insist... but we will be destroying that place eventually, right?"

"Of course – the only reason not to is if we find a way to dismantle the Project without needing to." Kraden gestured to Ivan. "Now, Ivan knows more about the procedure, so if either of you need to know more then you can ask him while en route. He also has everything you'll need – you'll be leaving in a few hours, so if you need to tie up loose ends here you'll have the time for it."

"One more thing," Ivan said. "What about Mia?"

"What about Mia?" Kraden replied with a slight smile. "We'll keep her here with us safely until the matter in Imil is resolved and she wishes to return home. Don't worry, she'll be taken good care of, so don't worry."

Ivan nodded. "Good." He stood and walked to the entrance, gesturing for Isaac and Jenna to follow him. "Don't wait too long – we should be back in good time."

Kraden smiled. "Good luck."

- - - - -

**Author's Note: **Again, it's a shorter chapter. Sorry, but a holiday environment really isn't the best place for writing. I was so busy that I barely had the chance to think straight. Oh well. Until the next chapter.


	7. Deeper

**Author's Notes: **This chapter, along with ANY writing task that I have attempted since... well, since about halfway through the Europe trip... has given me complete hell. I want to keep churning out chapters repeatedly, and it makes me agonise that I'm not putting this out as much as I want for you all, but... I really am stuck here. I have plenty of ideas, and I have a good idea of where it's all going. But... anytime I sit down to work, I get about one paragraph into the story before ceasing entirely.

You really don't need to hear about my problems, though. You didn't come for that, you came for a Golden Sun AU. Well, ask and ye shall receive... oh, and please excuse the lack of formatting, which I've now corrected. QuickEdit causes more problems than it fixes.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 6 – Deeper**

Felix panted heavily, bending over slightly to catch his breath. Perhaps he was setting his goals a little too highly... pushing himself like this was more likely to do him harm than good. But, no... he could do this. He had to, or he'd never learn anything about Alex and his little projects.

The curiosity that had plagued Felix's mind recently had gone from simple inquisitive thoughts to complete and utter domination of his thoughts. Saturos and Menardi had been gone for a few days now, leaving Felix to continue his warrior training alone. Hence why he was duelling with a mechanical counterpart.

Artificial intelligence was, in his mind at least, a total impossibility. Intelligence was derived from free will, and free will was derived from a soul's actions. Just like you couldn't make a computer think for itself, Felix was convinced that an intelligent robot was exactly the same. Computer systems were bound by rules, whereas a human's soul designed it's own rules that could be altered as it saw fit. Without this freedom of action – with a constant limit to what they could do – computers could never become 'intelligent.'

Then again, the duelling dummy was little more than a simple machine programmed to follow certain behavioural combat protocols. If it saw an opening, it probed it, and it defended itself when it's sensors detected a threat. If he could score a hit, the robot would shut down, and if it scored a hit with it's reduced power energy blade then it would also cease functioning.

But Felix knew of the recording device inside it's head – the one that Saturos had placed there to analyse how many victories or losses Felix had. Of course, it was voice controlled, meaning that he couldn't just go in and alter the figures. Anything that happened in this training run would be known to Saturos when the time came.

He vowed not to let it best him again.

Straightening and reactivating his energy-diverter equipped blade, Felix assumed a ready stance. "Training Unit Model A3-76139, activate."

With a whirr of gears the machine straightened, and it's built in energy blade hummed to life. The crimson blade immediately began probing for gaps and weaknesses in his defence, forcing Felix to start moving.

The training unit was only a machine, and despite it's advanced technology it couldn't match his physical movements very well. This meant that Felix could stay out of harm's way to a degree, but he had to be careful – should he fall outside the machine's outer sensor field, then it would automatically shut down and recall the battle as a disqualification.

He swung his blade in a backhanded slash, attempting to score a strike against the machine's torso. With rapid movements the crimson blade flashed through the air and clashed with his own, forcing Felix to back away slightly. Seeing this sudden opening, the machine moved to the left and thrust at Felix's side. He swivelled to the side himself and brought his own weapon down on the machines.

The machine backed away, bringing itself out of effective harm's range but still keeping Felix within the maximum sensor field. It then began performing what the brown-haired man referred to as 'combat drills' – several strikes, all aimed at various exposed parts in an attempt to leave him stung and end the fight. While the random number generators inside kept each move unpredictable, Felix was well-trained enough to evade or block each of them as it came.

When this had continued for a time, Felix switched his stance and began taking the offensive. He performed a rapid series of slashes that Saturos had taught him, aiming not to kill but to weaken with relative ease. The machine was well-versed in the manoeuvres, though, so it parried each of the strikes just before the blue blade came into contact with the metallic plating of it's exterior.

They continued exchanging attack after attack for a fair amount of time. Felix could feel his energy declining – this was not the first training run he'd performed that morning, and he could feel his power rapidly slipping away. Seeking to end the training now before he got careless and the machine landed a successful strike, he swept to the side and performed a rapid slash to the head.

The machine was fast enough to deflect the blow with it's blade, but not fast enough to stop Felix from slipping back to his previous position and bringing the energy weapon down onto it's exposed shoulders.

The reduced power of the blade was not enough to slice through metal plating, but it was enough to leave a faint burn in the steel sheet that covered the machine's exterior. Instantly, it's sensors reacted to the presence of the energy and sent an immediate command to the central processing unit – Shutdown.

Faster than a human could react to, the machine's battery ceased supplying power to the motors installed in the gearing systems and all movement ceased. The energy blade deactivated, and Felix withdrew from the object. He breathed in deeply, and then hit the activator switch on his own energy blade. The blue weapon wavered, then vanished entirely.

"A very impressive fight," a person said from behind him.

Felix span around in surprise, amazed that he hadn't heard the person approach. He had been occupied, true, but that didn't mean he was unable to hear footsteps. Nonetheless, they had snuck up on him.

Who the person was, Felix was unsure. But he immediately had a guess as to the identity upon studying the man's features. Long cerulean hair could only mark him as a Lemurian.

"Very impressive indeed. I can see why Saturos has taken such a keen interest in your training, Felix." The Lemurian gave him a small smile. "Out of curiosity, do you know who I am?"

"Are you Alex?" Felix asked.

"Excellent." The smile broadened. "Well, since we both know each other, introductions aren't really necessary. As such, I'll get straight to the point. No doubt Saturos has mentioned to you how he is involved in my work."

"He did, yes." Felix nodded.

"Did he mention that I may be interested in gaining additional volunteers for this work?"

"Yes."

"That saves me a great deal of trouble then." Alex clapped his hands together. "Felix, I need the assistance of a fighter like yourself in my research project. I suppose you could say a guinea pig, but I don't want to demean you in that way... as an assistant. Saturos conveyed your interest to me, so I was hoping you'd be up to it."

Felix kept his features bland, but his mind was racing. Perhaps his unusual burst of curiosity would be sated at last... if he was a part of Alex's affairs directly, there would be no need for a middleman in discovering what was truly happening.

"If I may ask," he said hesitantly, "where are Saturos and Menardi?"

"They're still at my facility," Alex said casually. "Their work is done for now, but I still to keep them around for a day or two to make sure there were no ill effects as a result of what occurred. They're all perfectly fine, though, so don't be concerned at their continued absence."

Felix nodded slightly. "So... what does this research entail?

"Human augmentation," the Lemurian replied simply. "At the very least, I think Prox deserves a little more than a forgotten position at the most secluded segment of Weyard. Donating the results of this project to the Proxian government should help them to recover from the Lemurian embargoes since the war."

"Why would you do that?" Felix asked, looking curious.

"I'm a Lemurian," Alex answered. "Unlike most Lemurians, though, I think it's a little unfair for all the blame and all the repercussions to be placed on this place. Prox started the war, yes, but the Lemurians escalated it further."

"I suppose so..."

"But I digress. I need another capable swordsman, and you fit the part excellently. Are you interested?"

"Well..." Felix looked around. "I don't see why not. Saturos and Menardi verified that it's fine, so... sure."

"Excellent." Alex glanced at his wristwatch. "Well, you have to excuse me for departing so suddenly, but I really am a busy man. Thank you for your acceptance – I'll summon you when your presence is required."

Felix nodded, and the Lemurian turned and left the training area. In the sudden void his absence created, the swordsman called feel dozens of questions bubbling to the surface of his mind. This curiosity was unnatural for him... perhaps there was something driving it on.

Perhaps it was his memory...

o-o-o-o-o-

Ivan lounged on his 'throne', as he chose to call it. In actual fact, it was the main pilot's chair of the boat which the Elementalists had granted him to use for countless missions. It was more like his home than any other building that he had stayed in, and far more useful too. It was fairly innocuous looking, but there were many modifications within it's hull to maximise it's usefulness.

Alhafra was not much of a home to the blonde-haired teen. It was one of his operating grounds, certainly, but if he truly belonged anywhere in the world than it was here. The boat was outfitted to take him almost anywhere in Weyard that was accessible by water, and it could easily facilitate his operations and sustain his well-being for at least a month.

Isaac and Jenna had certainly been impressed. Jenna had been somewhat excited by the prospect of taking it all the way to Imil, and it had taken considerable effort on the part of the two males to keep her calm. At present, Ivan was fairly sure that the pair were in the sleeping quarters.

He scratched his chin, feeling the very beginnings of stubble there. Sometimes, people found it hard to picture Ivan as a youth... his calm, calculating exterior matched with his keen intelligence and skill with all facets of Elementalist activity was something that most others would have placed under much older and more experienced people.

Ivan didn't really have anything to say about that... he just suspected that he'd had a fairly well brought up childhood. He knew that his parents were deceased, certainly, but he was also fairly sure that some remnant of his family still existed at his hometown of Contigo.

Absently inspecting the features around him and seeing that the boat was still on course, Ivan leaned back in his chair and stretched. He was getting a little tired... near-constant activity was rapidly siphoning away his energy reserves, and he'd doubtless need some rest soon. He wondered whether he should turn command of the ship over to one of the others, or simply rig up an automation program.

Perhaps he should lay the task before them. It was meagre, to be sure, but perhaps it would go a step further in showing them that he trusted them. Ivan smiled at his own thoughts. Trusted them... he didn't know why, but Isaac and Jenna seemed so much more worthy of his trust than many others. Perhaps it was because they were of similar ages, and acted accordingly.

Or it could have been that their age would limit their worth in the eyes of a rival, and therefore they were less likely to be members of a rival organisation. This drew an even bigger smile.

Whatever the case may be, Ivan felt easier among them than he would have had an adult joined him in this mission. Many felt uncomfortable working with him since, despite his abilities, they didn't like the idea of a younger person accompanying them... or being superior to them in terms of skill.

No matter. He trusted them and that was that. That thought aside, Ivan tapped a few commands into the boat's inboard computer and brought up a map of Weyard. Calculating their current position, Ivan determined that they were almost due west of Lemuria proper and headed straight for Southern Angara. From there, they'd follow the coastline around the continent and towards Imil. It would take a couple of days, but it was preferable to flying. At least this way they had a portable base of operations if all things failed.

"Where are we?" said Jenna's voice from behind him. Ivan didn't bother looking - he just moved aside and tapped the map.

"Right here, in the Sea of Time. The Lemurian continent is due east."

Jenna nodded. "This boat certainly makes good time. We only left Alhafra about twenty-four hours ago."

"It's a good vehicle," Ivan nodded in agreement.

"Very good – I don't of many other boats with connections to the Net."

"That cost a very large amount of money to install," Ivan said with a laugh. "It's just a wireless uplink to the regular Net servers, but it's almost untraceable. They can get a rough picture of where the ship is if they look hard enough, but all they'd get is 'the Sea of Time'. And in case you haven't noticed, that's pretty big."

"So I noticed," Jenna said. "Isaac's making full use of that capability, though. I get the picture that he spends more time on the Net than he spends in real life. He was like that before."

"What do you mean by before?" Ivan asked.

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You said that Isaac was like that 'before'. When did you mean? You haven't known him for that long, have you?"

Jenna blinked and looked skyward. "That's weird. I don't know what I meant."

Ivan gave her a curious glance, then decided that prying wouldn't be worth his time. He shifted his gaze towards the boat's control module. From a cursory glimpse, all was well, but he still leant forward and manually checked the systems one-by-one. Jenna watched as he did so, noting just how quickly and efficiently he was able to do everything. Barely one frame had appeared before Ivan had moved on to another.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked casually.

"I want to be sure everything is working fine," he answered.

"I thought that was all automated."

"It is. I just don't trust it."

Jenna barked out a laugh. "You don't trust computers? That sounds strange coming from one of the best hackers in the Elementalist organisation."

"And you're telling me that you do?" Ivan countered.

"...well, yes." Jenna shrugged. "Isn't that normal?"

"Of course it's normal. That doesn't make it right." Ivan concluded his inspection of the boat's integrated computer systems and turned his attention fully to Jenna. "Computers are machines. Unfeeling, unthinking machines. They can do only what they are commanded to do by humans. Not just the human using it, but other humans who gain access through hacking. You cannot trust something that cannot think for itself, especially in my line of work."

His companion laughed slightly. "I suppose so. But you certainly take it seriously."

"Of course I take it seriously. I'm younger than you are, Jenna, and you know how older members of society treat you. It's even worse for me, since I can't even pass for anyone older like you might. To them, everything is based off age, and age is based off physical appearance. In order to get somewhere as high as I have, I had to be incredibly skilful. I couldn't do it by being lax in my own security. And since I cannot trust the machines that I use, then I can only trust in my own abilities."

Jenna's smile faded. Ivan's words were so sincere that they were beginning to infect her own thinking. Just machines... just mindless objects that can only think as well as their operators.

"Has something happened to you because of computers?" she asked, wondering if he'd respond in the affirmative like they always seemed to in his situation.

Surprisingly though, Ivan shook his head. "No. I'm just cautious. I have to be – I just said why. I'm involved heavily in something that could be called criminal, despite my good intentions. I'm only fifteen, and I really don't want to spend a good portion of my life in a prison."

Jenna nodded. "I can understand that. Still, you have no real regrets if you lose what you have helping people."

Ivan smiled. "Optimism is a good trait to have... you're extremely luck to possess it."

She shrugged. "It was tough. I had to learn it. But that's for another time." Jenna spread her arms and stretched, yawning slightly. "Well. Forgive the analysis on my part, Ivan, but you obviously know more about Project Psynergy than you're letting on. And possibly more about this mission. So, in the interest of preserving our lives, I'd like to know what you left unsaid."

Ivan didn't even move in reaction. Instead, he reached over to the computer once again and started typing in commands.

"Don't evade me," Jenna said. "I have as..."

"Quiet," Ivan interrupted. "I can only work so fast. You'll have your answers in a moment."

Jenna closed her mouth and looked at him, surprised. Perhaps they didn't know as much as she thought. Judging from his expression and body language, Ivan had no intention of holding back in the slightest.

"Okay." Ivan typed one final command, and a large portion of text interposed itself on the screen. Jenna leaned forward and glanced over it, determining it's nature. It was a report on the research program Prox was conducting, though it still looked to be from the preliminary stages. Nonetheless, she quickly read through it.

_Project Psynergy – research program designed to augment human physical capabilities. Augmentation is achieved by injecting a critical bacterium into the bloodstream. In a matter of hours the bacteria infuses itself with blood cells and spreads, and within a 12-hour period is present in all parts of the body. The bacteria acts as a booster for mental thought on the subconscious level. The boost is vastly powerful and, as a result, tapping into the subconscious energies through focusing can allow a person to affect the very world around them. This can lead to both constructive and destructive uses._

_There are four types of bacteria strains to date, and each allows the individual to tap into a different aspect of the world. Mercury controls the water, Venus the earth, Jupiter the air and Mars the flame. Essentially there are four focal points in the world where these bacteria are present in large abundance, and there are several more where a specific element seems to be a lot more potent._

_End Diagnostic 1-001._

Jenna read through it a second time, disbelieving.

"This... sounds like something out of a book." She barked a laugh. "Are they serious?"

"Deadly serious, though it isn't at the point where it's being used just yet." Ivan's expression was grim. "They're still testing various locations for the efficiency of each element, and attempting to instil the bacteria into the people at these places. Our intended destination is one such place – a facility for augmenting people with Mercury bacteria."

"...does everyone else know this?" Jenna asked quietly.

Ivan nodded. "Sadly, the higher-ups in the Elementalists are aware of this. That report is perhaps the only complete one we have, though. The other..." he tapped into the keyboard once more, and in a matter of moments the text was replaced by a far smaller document.

_Delivery of equipment scheduled for Mercury base. Location Imil + 12.6 kilometres northeast._

"The list of equipment to go with that included the crates of bacteria of the Mercury strain. I don't know where it originated, but I've tracked the possibilities to Lemuria or Tundaria. Both of which seems unlikely for the Proxians to visit, but that is irrelevant." Ivan closed the document. "What is relevant is that they're being shipped here, and Mia tells us that people are disappearing and reappearing a few days later with strange symptoms."

Jenna didn't want to hear anymore. She had the sudden oppressive feeling that she was involved in something way over her head, and all of a sudden the weight of that was beginning to crush her. Nonetheless, she was there and she was involved whether she liked it or not – she'd have to grit her teeth and carry on.

"But... why aren't we going to destroy the damn place?" Jenna demanded. "I don't want to sit around while people are being used against their will!"

"Relax," Ivan said, gesturing for her to calm down. "I have more to say."

Jenna gritted her teeth. "It's not that useful to me if I'm doing nothing but sitting around." Nonetheless, she backed down.

"When I was in the installation last, the Proxians had one Imilian citizen there. That's Mia, and I rescued her, since I felt like you do – I can't let them be used against their will. However, I realised that it was a little too late when I got there."

"What do you mean?"

"Mia told me that she remembered waking up in a dark room and being there for an indefinite time. In reality, she'd been there for two days. In that time... the Proxians had implanted the bacteria in her bloodstream."

"_What!_" Jenna demanded again.

"I checked the records in the Proxian computers. They did it almost immediately after capturing her. She's carrying Mercury bacteria inside her. But there's not much we can do about that anymore... you read the reports. In half a day it becomes fully integrated with your system. Given the correct triggers, she could very well start using it, but she's not of the Proxian number. She isn't being controlled."

"...you're keeping her amongst the Elementalists to study her behaviour," Jenna deduced. "You've reduced her to a zoo animal."

"Not me," Ivan said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "That's why I was angry at Kraden. The world may be a book to him, but I'm a lot more realistic. I want to let her return to her home. But I was overruled." He shrugged slightly, and then turned to Jenna. "So I'm getting my revenge."

"Say what?" she asked.

"I'm going to use the language of love to convey my appreciation to the Proxians. The language of explosives. I have a fairly powerful array of explosive devices stashed on this boat, intended to level the island once we've extracted as much as we can from the databanks. And, contrary to what the others in the organisation believe, that is most certainly the best way to hamper their efforts."

"...I underestimated you," Jenna said as she shook her head.

"Most people do."

o-o-o-o-o-

"So what do you think they'll have us do?" Karst asked Agatio and Menardi. The three were sitting in the living room of their chambers which they had been granted during their stay in Alex's installation. "Lords and Ladies of the new Proxian Order, maybe? Generals in the army?"

"More like lab rats," Menardi countered. "Because at the moment that's exactly what we've become. Let's face it – we volunteered to get ourselves in here. I'm not complaining about it, but it really is a cage. A gilded cage, mayhap, but a cage nonetheless."

Agatio snorted. "I suppose you're right, but I find it highly doubtful that we'll just be swept under the rug. This experiment is secret, sure, but it's fairly well known amongst those of us who work here. I knew that it was an attempt to amplify human abilities even before I volunteered. We're known about, that's for sure, so it won't look too good if, after initial successes, we suddenly end up deceased."

"Such a positive outlook," Karst murmured.

"I try."

"Alright, fine, so Alex won't kill us." Menardi shrugged. "But when everyone else is altered like we are, then we won't really stand out that much, so I wouldn't expect anything grandiose. Money, perhaps, but little else."

"Thanks for spoiling my fun, big sis."

"That's what I'm here for," Menardi countered with an evil grin.

Agatio spread his arms and stretched, moaning slightly. "Whatever they have us do, I hope they do it soon." He lazily dropped his arms by his sides again before glancing around the room. "Hey, where is Saturos, anyway?"

"I'm not sure," Menardi replied tersely.

"You sound like you do," Agatio countered. "What's the matter, did your boyfriend do something that he told you to keep a secret?"

Menardi's face reddened. "Hey, it's not like that. He's not my boyfriend."

"Of that I have no doubt," Agatio answered with a laugh, which Karst joined in. "Do you know or not?"

"Well... no, not really." The Proxian woman bit her lower lip. "He left this morning just as I was waking up. He told me to go back to sleep – he was just doing something."

"Curious," Agatio murmured. "What would that 'something' entail? Conferring with our esteemed leader about something, perhaps? Asking about how to properly unlock the abilities that have been implanted into his system?"

"You sound as if he's part of a conspiracy," Karst said. "Relax, big guy. It's probably nothing major, and he'll most likely show up eventually. With any luck, he'll drag the Lemurian with him so we can figure out if the implantation was a success."

"Actually, I think it is," Menardi said.

"Huh?" Karst looked over at her sister. "What in Weyard do you mean? We haven't even done any tests or trials yet."

"Haven't we? I set one up this morning for us." Menardi leaned forward. "It works for me, I just want to check with you two. Tell me... how does the temperature feel?"

Agatio cocked his head sideways curiously. "It feels normal – an average Proxian day, although relatively warm."

"Yeah, I feel the same." Karst shrugged. "What's the deal?"

"This is the deal." Menardi pulled an electronic thermometer from her pocket, held it in the air above them, and pressed the on button. The tiny computer screen turned black for a moment, then showed up a series of numbers.

_2 Degrees Celsius; 35.6 Degrees Fahrenheit_

"It's cold outside," Menardi said with a slight smile. "And I made sure that the heating system was set to very cold. Yet we can't feel a thing."

Karst and Agatio were stunned for a moment. They stared at her, disbelieving. Then Agatio barked out a laugh.

"I get it... we're supposed to be able to manipulate fire and heat, right?"

Karst nodded slowly. "So that would mean we don't feel extreme temperatures..."

"More than that," Menardi said. "We don't feel _any_ temperature other than a neutral warmth kind of sensation. I don't know if this ability has limits or not, since this is the only test I've attempted... but it's certainly indicative of a small level of success."

Agatio smiled broadly. "Impressive. It's certainly a start."

At that moment, a communicator crackled into activity somewhere in the living area. There was a pause, and then Alex's voice filled the air.

"Good morning, you three. Please prepare yourselves – in just a few minutes I shall drop by, and we can begin testing to see what your newfound abilities can do for you. Alex out."

Karst glanced up at the communicator, then to her companions again. "Party time,"

o-o-o-o-o-

"Operational status?" asked the captain.

"All perfect. We're away." The Proxian navigator eased the throttle forward, making the supply ship accelerate away from the Proxian port. "We're on course for Division 57 base." He shook his head. "Poor guys... it mustn't be much fun to be assigned to Imil."

"I don't know," the captain countered. "It can't be that much worse than other places, and at least this one is close."

"Yes, but..." the navigator stopped, glancing at the computer readout. "Problem.

All of the cargo bays files just disappeared. The connection must have been severed."

"Not good. That means the camera as well, right?"

"Right. I'll head down there and see if I can fix it up. Keep us on course, and I'll radio in if I can't fix it." The navigator got out of his chair and left the cabin. The captain glanced over at the computer screen. A few minutes passed, and still no change occurred on the monitor.

Then his radio started beeping. He retrieved it from his pocket, pressed the receive button, and placed it to his ear. "I'm here – what's the problem?"

No response.

"Hey, are you there? What's going on?"

Before a reply could come, however, the captain felt an immensely sharp pain to the back of his neck. His head span, and he fell out of his chair. In moments he slipped into unconsciousness...

o-o-o-o-o-

Piers replaced his energy pistol in it's holster and leant down to the now incapacitated guard. It seemed pistol butts made exceptionally good bludgeoning weapons – he was out like a light. The Lemurian agent reduced the throttle power to one-quarter speed before grabbing the downed Proxian and dragging him to the storage room.

He hurriedly tied his hands and feet and placed a gag around his mouth before placing him beside the navigator before returning to the cabin. He then took his place at the navigator's chair and started typing in commands into the computer terminal.

"Map..." Piers muttered as he worked. "Reroute... Lemuria... Confirm..."

Then he put the throttle at full speed again and gripped the control wheel, bringing the ship around and pointing it towards it's new destination. Piers nodded at his work. His report may have been late, but that didn't mean he wouldn't grace King Hydros with his presence regardless.

o-o-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes: **It's time to come clean, I think. The reason these updates are getting further apart and progressively worse is because I'm a depression sufferer. Over the past few months I've tried medication, an overseas trip, time off school... every solution to help me out. I'm getting nowhere fast, though, and my depression is something that I think will never leave me alone. I couldn't care less about most of it's features, but the real problem... it kills my writing ability as well. Over the months, as depression is taking more and more control, I'm unable to get in the mood of writing. When I do, I normally type up about half a page of pure crap which is promptly deleted. That's exactly what I think this chapter is – pure crap. I hate it, and I hate every part of it. My betas are telling me otherwise, though, which is the only reason I'm letting you see this.

I swear that depression is an infliction that I wouldn't wish on the worst Mary Sue in existence. So please excuse me for taking forever to get this damn thing up – it's only going to get worse before it gets better. Hopefully you'll like this story enough to wait around for it, but I'll understand if you don't. I'll write review responses next chapter, since I don't want to take even longer to get this thing up.


	8. Inner Workings

**Author's Notes: **Hi, I'm back again. No, I'm not dead, but my writing sure as heck was. Because of my personal issues, I very quickly lost interest in writing as I spent more time fixing things. Now my life is completely turned around and I'm about ready to focus on what matters to me again - writing. Because of the sheer amount of time that has passed, though, I'm not content with spending lots more time on completing a whole chapter. Instead, I'm placing a half-chapter here with two extra scenes that would have been in Chapter 7 but are instead going to act as filler. They're still serious and pertain to the story, so don't be alarmed, but it's not a full-sized chapter.

So yes. I sincerely apologise for the very long delays, but it hasn't been like this through my choice. I'd promise a full chapter soon, but I don't like to make promises that I don't know if I can keep...

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 6x – Inner Workings**

Countless pages of information blinked into existence before being disposed of or inspected further. They flicked past his eyes at a prodigious rate, and would leave many an untrained eye confused as to their nature had they been present to witness it. At that moment, though, there was only one set of eyes observing, and they were possessed by a skilled individual.

Isaac continued to wade through screen after screen of data, shutting most down due to their irrelevant nature. Despite all his efforts and attempts, the information that he was searching for remained beyond his grasp. Either the information was far too classified for him to crack, even with all the tools, skills and knowledge at his disposal... or it simply didn't exist. As unpleasant as that reality could very well be, it was indeed a possibility the information that he was striving to discover might very well not be present on the Net at all.

But if it did, he didn't want to stop. No matter the cost to him or to anyone else, he was determined to find out what he was so desperately searching for. It didn't matter if it meant his undoing... at least he would meet the afterlife with what he had sought to discover since the very beginning of his Net hacking days. Even more than Project Psynergy, there was one set of files that he wanted to find. One bundle of documents. He had been searching fruitlessly for years and years, but that didn't slow his determination. He would find it, one day.

He would find his memories. He would find out just who he was. Isaac the hacker sufficed as a suitable identity for the time being, but possessing memories of just a few short years of a seventeen-year-long life left him feeling nothing more than incomplete. He needed his identity.

There was very little he knew about himself. He knew that Vale, far away in Western Angara, was his birthplace. Whether or not he had remained there for a length of time was unknown to him, though. For the last two years he had been in Alhafra, without a past and with only a first name that he'd found on a label on his shirt... he was not even sure that it belonged to him.

But that was irrelevant. What did matter was that in the last two years he had become affiliated with a group of hackers and had lived off the earnings that he had accumulated from there. His contacts had provided him housing and a laptop from which to support himself, but everything else he had acquired personally with the funds provided from his services. While he did try to help out others when possible – almost as if it was part of his nature, despite his quiet demeanor – he constantly felt that after working so hard to achieve what he had with such a small start, then he was probably best off staying quiet rather than drawing attention to himself.

And then, in his time alone, he had begun searching for his past. Things had been slow at first as he'd searched common, open websites for any sort of identification. Despite his frequent searching, however, nothing had ever turned up. As his hacking abilities had developed, he'd tried breaking into secure databases and searching out information. But nothing ever came up. Two years of increasingly elaborate and deep searches had turned up empty. Lesser people would have given up, but Isaac persisted, driven by sheer determination.

At first he'd searched for information pertaining to Vale. But everywhere that he discovered seemed to have a lack of anything pertaining to him. Gradually the searches had expanded, until Isaac was exploring every corner of the Net to find any form of information regarding him worldwide. But there was nothing prior to Alhafra. Not a word. If he'd ever existed anywhere, there were no records to show for it. It was as if his identity had been completely removed from the face of Weyard.

This made him curious, and somewhat disheartened. But it didn't stop his desire to know the truth. Regardless of what was hiding it.

"Do you ever get tired of that?" came a familiar female voice from the doorway. It was only then that Isaac realised that he was still horizontal on his bed, with his computer resting on his arched legs. He slowly stretched out and flattened himself against the bed before closing the laptop screen and looking over at Jenna.

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Mere curiosity," Jenna said with a shrug, moving over onto the other bed. There were only two on the whole ship... apparently Ivan preferred sleeping on a chair. According to him, there was less chance of falling out if the boat started rocking. In truth, neither of the newcomers had seen him sleep... apparently he kept his rest short and sweet, if he did rest at all.

Isaac put the computer aside and swung his legs over onto the floor, pulling up into a sitting position. "What were you talking to Ivan about?"

"How do you know I was talking to Ivan?" she replied.

"Because there's not much else you would be doing on this boat," he answered plainly. "Besides, he knows more about this Project Psynergy thing than we do, and you seem like the type of person who doesn't who hates to not know about her situation."

Jenna studied his features for a moment, taking in his impassive expression. Finally, she nodded. "You're right. I was talking to him, since I don't know nearly enough about what's going on, and that's something that I hate." She gave him a small smile. "You're good at that."

"You show your emotions quite openly," Isaac replied, shifting his laptop back into it's regular position but leaving the screen down. "You're very open, whether or not you realise that."

She arched an eyebrow out him, narrowing her eyes in an almost hostile manner. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds," he said almost immediately. "I learnt a long time ago to try and be impassive so people can determine less about you. In our line of work, anonymity is an extremely valuable quality, so it's simply a means of self-preservation. Apparently you didn't learn that."

There was nothing subtle about the hostility on her face now. "You're skirting dangerously close to pissing me off, Isaac."

"So you can't handle it when someone makes a simple statement regarding you? I'm merely offering an observation, Jenna. You might do well to listen to me - I could help you."

"You little..." In an instant Jenna was standing. "What right do you have to criticise me like this?" she demanded. "I asked you a simple question and-"

She was cut short by Isaac's response. "And I gave you a simple answer. You simply took it the wrong way."

Without warning, she drew her right fist back and launched it at his face. Somehow, though, he saw it coming and raised his own hand to catch it before it could strike him. He clasped his fingers tightly around her balled fist to stop her from attacking again, and then... stopped. She wasn't an enemy... there was no need to hurt her... and for a moment he was halted by indecision.

That second of hesitation allowed her to ready her left hand and swing it at him. Again, he hurriedly raised his other hand and caught the attack at her wrist, gripping it tightly. She struggled for a moment against his grip.

"Let go of me! she demanded.

"Why?" Isaac countered, sounding somewhat confused. "So you can strike at me again?"

Slowly, Jenna stopped fighting his grip and relaxed, staring straight at him. He stared straight back. Finally, she lowered her eyes. "Alright. Fine. I got carried away. I shouldn't have lost my temper and I shouldn't have attacked you. Let go of me and I won't do it again."

Isaac released his grip on her hands and she stepped backward hurriedly, as if afraid that he was going to lash at her. She sat down on her bed again, flexing her fingers. After a little while she looked up at him again.

"...I'm sorry."

"It's okay." For some reason, Isaac's eyes locked onto hers for a moment. Something nagged at the back of his mind, telling him that there was something very wrong here... but the feeling passed in moments and he looked away again.

Jenna massaged her wrist for a moment, still looking up at him. "You know, you seem familiar."

Isaac blinked, turning back to her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure. But for some reason, I get the feeling that we didn't originally meet at that Elementalist meeting..." She closed her eyes, looking somewhat strained. "Now why am I thinking that..."

"...do you come from Vale?" he asked tentatively.

Her eyes opened again. "Vale... I know where that is... but..." she paused, then shook her head. "No, I don't think I do."

"Don't worry then." Isaac sighed slightly, feeling frustrated. For just a brief moment, he thought she might have known something... "We probably just met during a hacking run or something. These things happen."

"...why did you ask about Vale?" Jenna asked, suddenly quiet.

"Because I was hoping that you know who I am." His voice was almost emotionless. "No-one else does."

"I see..." Jenna shrugged, retrieving her own laptop. "Sorry, I must have been mistaken." There was little sympathy in her tone.

"Fine." Isaac opened his laptop and laid down on his bed again, resuming his searches across the Net. But now, his attention was beginning to fade... was she really telling the truth?

- - - - -

Mia quickly learnt that a troubled mind produces troubled dreams.

Everything had gone crazy in the last few days. Her abduction from Imil, her imprisonment in a Proxian installation, her rescue by Ivan and finally her being taken to a place in Alhafra... it was almost more than she could take. Laying down on the small bed in the room that Ivan's associates had set aside for her did very little to comfort her, and her mind raced from the countless numbers of thoughts she was processing.

Something very serious was going on. Otherwise she wouldn't have been abducted. All the people who had been exhibiting strange signs of duress lately that she had been treating... she believed they had to be linked to her own situation. And the organisation that Ivan belonged to keeping her here like this... who were they? Why had Ivan been in that place, and why had he killed people to get out again?

Miraculously, the ceaseless stream of thoughts slowly subsided as Mia drifted to sleep...

Only to be plagued by a nightmare.

She was being chased. Several faceless people pursued her through an endless stretch of space, pitch black except for the illumination given by herself and the ones pursuing her. She was cold, she was frightened, and she had no idea where she was going. Her pursuers were so much faster than her, and they very easily kept pace with her, getting perilously closer...

Until the darkness opened up and gave way to an ocean. Instantly Mia fell through the sheet of water, struggling to pull herself to the surface despite her limbs feeling like lead. She struggled to swim away, hoping that the faceless ones would be in a similar predicament... until a strong grip clamped down on her shoulder and span her around.

The lead pursuer was standing on the water as if it was completely solid. Where his face should have been was nothing but a blank mask of skin, facing her and giving the impression of a leer. Mia cried out slightly and struggled against the grip, trying to free herself.

Then the hand pulled her under the water and disappeared instantly.

It was so cold... her breath escaped her as she struggled to pull herself upwards again, but try as she might she could not breach the surface... the freezing water stretched upwards infinitely, pressing down on her. The air from her lungs emptied and her mouth filled with freezing water, closing in on her. Slowly, everything began to fade to blackness.

Instantly, Mia was sitting bolt upright in her bed, breathing heavily. A nightmare... just a nightmare. Shivering slightly, she pressed her hands to her temples.. only to find that her hair was clinging to her head in thick clumps, completely soaked through by water. As this realisation sunk in properly, she began to realise that her entire body was soaked through. Her clothes clung to her skin, and her exposed arms were dripping with icy cold water.

Suddenly alarmed, the Imilian girl hurriedly pulled herself from the sheets of her bed, looking bewilderedly at herself. She was completely saturated with water, but looking at her bed, Mia could say that it was only slightly damp in a few very small spots. Even more strangely was that her pillow was completely dry, despite how waterlogged her cerulean locks were at the moment... it made no sense to her.

"What's going on..." she whispered to herself, continuing to look herself over. "What happened...?"

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Yep, that's all. Not much, but hopefully it'll sate any appetite you might have for this story for the time being. More will come soon, hopefully...


	9. Splinter Cells

**Author's Noten: **Once again, it's been a slow update, but I'm sure you're all used to that by now. Sorry. Life is pretty hectic, as I'm sure you're all aware. Nonetheless, here's a new chapter for you, with a fair bit more action this time.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 7 - Splinter cells**

The vessel slowly and quietly pulled alongside the pier with precise movements that few amateurs could pull off. The nearby dockhands moored the stolen ship to the pier and stepped back as the cabin door opened up.

Piers briskly stepped out of the opened hatchway, closing it behind him and locking the door tightly. He quickly stepped up on the pier and proceeded towards the city of Lemuria itself. The two dockhands trailed behind him at a short distance, trying to catch up with his brisk pace.

"Hey, hold it! You can't just leave that boat here, Piers, you stole it from Prox! We need to-"

"I need to do my job, and it's far more important than any task or tradition that you have to do. It stays there, end of story, and if anyone messes with it I'll see that King Hydros hangs you all."

That immediately silenced the pair, and they exchanged a quick glance before leaving the Lemurian agent alone and returning to their duties.

Piers proceeded, unfazed, out of the harbour district and into the commercial district of Lemuria. The largest city in Weyard was divided into several branches, with the harbour and commercial districts facing the open sea. His destination with the governmental district on the raised, far side of the city, ringed by the residental areas of all classes.

He continued on the direct route towards the palace, through the bustling streets and crowds of people, barely acknowledging anything or even changing his pace. He had a job to do. As a direct agent of King Hydros and the Senate, it was his responsibility to carry out their bidding across all continents and report back frequently. Piers had quite a bit to report... his unexplained absence, his unorthodox methods of return, and the startling contents of the cargo hold.

Moreover, he had to explain why he was going to leave active service indefinitely.

A fair amount of time later, he was continuing through the government district with the throngs of people a not-too distant memory. Thoughts were flashing through his mind at an incalculable rate as he tried to image the reactions of the Senate members and the King in particular. The King would probably remain calm and taciturn regardless of the situation, and would most likely approve of his temporary leave from service.

But there were some who wouldn't. Some that he would clash with before this day was through.

There were no stark walls ringing this palace, since it was Hydros' idea to keep good faith with the people by keeping the palace grounds public. Security was heavy, however, so few were willing to stay there for extended periods. Piers was not one of those, however, so he marched up to the entrance implacably. Blue-uniformed security guards stopped him outside.

"ID tag please."

Piers didn't have it - it had been removed from him when he'd been captured by Alex. Hopefully this wouldn't prove difficult.

"Agent Piers. My ID isn't here though - it was stolen when I was kidnapped and taken to Prox. I have the mark to prove where the traitor Alex beat me over the head. Would you like to see?"

One of the guards hesitated, but another shook his head. "We already knew you were coming - the harbourmaster tipped us off. King Hydros is in the Senate conference room and requested your immediate presence."

"That was my intention, thank you." The guards opened the door for him, and he continued on at a slightly slower pace this time. Ignoring the opulent splendour of the building, he proceeded down a memorised and well-trodden path towards the King's present location. In a short time he pushed open the doors and entered.

There were three people waiting for him at the smallest of the conference tables, built for eight people. At the head was Hydros, and on other side were two Senate members. Piers inwardly grimaced at the site of the Senator on the right - he had been hoping that Conservato of all people would not be present. Lunpa, on the left, was a friendlier choice, but it was still going to be a conflict by the end of this.

"Welcome home Piers - we've been missing you for a while." Hydros gestured to the end seat. "Please sit."

Piers took the offer and calmly sat down in the cushioned chair. He took a moment to look at the faces - Hydros as calm as always, Conservato leering at him, and Lunpa quietly collecting all the details. He tried to keep himself calm, but deep down his emotions were conflicting with each other in an alarming cacophony.

"To begin with," Hydros continued, "can you please explain why you've been away for such a long time? If Kraden had not discovered what Alex had done with you, we would have considered you a traitor along with him."

"I was in the process of collecting what I could find from the Tundarian ruins to keep it away from Alex. But he intercepted me first and knocked me out. I don't know exactly what he told the expedition crew, but they all left me alone. I was drugged, or something similar, since I don't remember any of the details." He quickly explained how he awoke in a Proxian jail cell, and how he worked with Sheba to escape, despite her recapture.

It was difficult saying it all while trying to remain impassive, and it seemed that Lunpa of all people could tell that. The Senator remained silent, however, and let the King continue.

"So you weren't able to determine much... this Sheba person mentioned that they were regularly testing her, and also commented on something called Project Psynergy. Did you get any more information on that?"

"No," Piers answered. "I was unable to gain anything more in my escape from the facility... while being pursued, there was no time. However... I did find something in the cargo bay of the ship I used to escape."

All three looked at him expectantly. "What is that?" Lunpa asked curiously.

"This." The Agent reached into his pants pocket and produced a clear tube of a faintly glowing cerulean liquid that seemed to be moving within its confines. "There was a crate full of cannisters identical to these inside. There were also many standard supplies for an outpost of some description, including weapons and machine parts. The original destination for the ship was somewhere near Imil, on the north coast of Angara."

Conservato looked straight at the cannister. "That is definitely it. That has to be the substance that Kraden's reports spoke of."

Piers paused. "Kraden? What is he doing?"

The elder Senator bit his lip as if he had spoken too much, but Lunpa filled in.

"There are a number of hacking groups across the world. Kraden has joined one and is exchanging limited Lemurian information in exchange for the results of their labour. He's a co-ordinator as well, so he's able to manipulate the hackers to work to our tune. If we send you out in the future, Piers, you'll most likely be working with them."

Conservato shot a hate-filled look at Lunpa, but the only non-Lemurian born Senator in the country simply smiled back. Hydros leant forward again.

"As we were saying... Kraden learnt from the hacking organisation that their top hacker, a boy named Ivan, had stumbled upon the Proxians implanting human beings with a special substance. Ultimately, the effects haven't been truly determined... but there are four kinds of bacteria that, when implanted into the bloodstream, it coexists with the host on a cellular level and boosts their mental prowess considerably. So considerable is the power, in fact, that it can allow the person to manipulate a facet of the world around them."

"Are you serious?" Piers said, disbelieving. He quickly realised that the comment sounded offensive and didn't reply. Of course it was, they wouldn't lie here...

Unless they wanted to hide it from him.

"We're serious," Conservato said reluctantly. He was very tight-lipped in nature and hated telling anything more than necessary... apparently he didn't deem Piers worth the effort.

The Agent remained silent for a moment before leaning back into his chair. "So what do you need me for? You're placing a lot of trust on me, undoubtedly, if you're going to give me that much information."

King Hydros also leant backwards. "We need you to facilitate Kraden and the hackers. They're already moving in on the destination that you provided - the island off Imil. It's their intention to learn as much as they can, but still leave the facility standing. If Prox doesn't know of our presence, then that will improve our situation considerably."

A sudden image of Sheba flashed into Piers' mind.

"...what is the facility for?"

"Bacteria implementation, of course," Lunpa said calmly.

"So you want to maintain stealth why they inject everyone with canisters of this and gain the ability to mess with the world."

"Yes..."

"And you want to allow them to do the same to innocent people." Piers' teeth were at edge.

"They are not Lemurian citizens," Conservato said. "So they are unimpor-"

Piers stood up suddenly, surprising his three superiors. "I've heard enough. I'm resigning."

"...you what!" Conservato exclaimed.

"Why, Piers?" Hydros said, his voice still level.

"It's not hard to figure out, your Majesty," Piers said coldly. "I was in a Proxian prison cell, awaiting termination or torture. I shared that cell with a girl from Lalivero. They were going to experiment on HER, not just soldiers or their own people. Others who wanted no part in it. She was terrified, and I tried to free her... then she got herself recaptured to allow me to get out." He pointed an accusing finger at the eldest Senator. "And then this inhuman BASTARD deems the victims of the experimentation as sub-humans to us, and refuses to intervene."

"Piers, control yoursel-" Lunpa said in a rising tone, but was quickly cut off.

"No, I will not. I'm resigning whether you like it or not, and I'm actually going to do something about this. I won't see more people like her, especially if you declare them expendable." He pocketed the canister and turned to leave.

"Take the boat," Hydros said calmly. "Do what you will with it. Return to Prox and do some damage, or destroy research facilities as you will. I give you full access to anything we can provide for such an endeavour."

The other three all turned to their King, surprised.

"You can't do that!" Conservato said in a barely controlled voice. His face reddened from sudden anger. "That would jeopardize everything!"

"What would it?" Hydros answered. "Piers just resigned. He may have my backing, but he's not an official Agent, and therefore he's free to do whatever he wants. If he wants to destroy the Proxian facilities, he's free to. Besides, I think I'd much rather see them all destroyed then let them remain infiltrated but untouched."

Lunpa nodded when Hydros finished. "That's right. This wouldn't be called an international incident, just a lone anarchist."

"Thank you very much," Piers said, somewhat stunned. Maybe he could rescue her now...

Before Conservato could protest any further, he was gone.

- - - - -

Garet checked the power of his pistol. A full reading, and he had two spare energy packs attached to his belt should they run out. He could feel his heart rate quicken - he'd only been part of the Madra Police for a short time, but since he'd already covered much of the training in his security guard work, he had been placed into active work outright.

And now, something big was happening. And he was part of it. Instead of docking in the port and being registered, a group of people had made an illegal entry into the city by landing outside of the borders. Hama had said that the action was not uncommon and usually a misunderstanding, but such a large group warranted further explanation.

Hence, a full-scale police operation had been called for. Because of the recent shortage in active members, though, Garet had been selected as one of the many for the operation. Along with his Senior Sergeant, a woman named Hama, and the other new recruit named Feizhi, they waited quietly in one of the ambush points to await the signal from the other forces.

Beside him, Feizhi did a quick equipment check as well. Her serious face was now traced by a little uncertainty. She was much more capable and had less need to be afraid than he did, but she seemed so anyway. Apparently, Hama was her guardian in the first place...

Hama was a renowned scholar of sorts. Originally from the Contigo area, she had studied the world even from a young age and had quickly developed a fair knowledge of how it all worked. Additionally, she had been taught at the Martial Arts Academy in Xian and had quickly risen up as one of their pre-eminent students. A master at practically all she touched, it was no wonder that she had been selected by the master of the Academy to train his ambitious yet headstrong and free-willed daughter.

It was not in Hama's nature to stay in one place for too long when it was unnecessary, however. Very quickly after accepting the offer of beng Fezhi's tutor, she had left with her surprised pupil and travelled to several places. Madra was their newest one, and the next step in Feizhi's training - active public service.

"Nervous?" Garet asked her, keeping his regular goofy grin on his face to ease his own nervousness.

She countered with a slight smile and nodded, still focused on her equipment. Once she was completely sure that she was ready to go, she answered him.

"Yes, somewhat. Despite my training, this is still something very new to me."

"I would have considered it a bit forthright," Garet joked. "Tuturoing is one thing, but police work... I wouldn't have placed it."

"You might, but I see the wisdom in it. Such an ordered system will give me us understanding of the laws and justice system of the world, as well as grant us discipline and leadership. Additionally, it gives us a variety of technical knowledge." Feizhi's faint smile now looked like a smirk... she took great pride in attempting to be superior.

"Heh, I suppose." Garet shrugged. "Useful skills, and funds to keep you going. At least it'll help get you somewhere."

"You should take more pride in your work, Mister Jerra," she said half-accusingly.

"Call me Garet," he answered, expression unchanged.

Before the conversation could continue, however, they were joined by their superior. Hama moved quickly and near silently, catching them off-guard with her arrival. She glanced at them quickly, then wordlessly gestured for them to ready themselves.

At the very edge of his hearing, Garet could pick up a faint drone - a boat. The din died shortly, announcing the fact that they had landed.

"Let's go," Hama said softly. She waited for her two subordinates to stand before leading them towards the beachfront, a short distance through the trees. Through the minor breaks in the trees, it was possible to see a silhouette of a small ship ahead. They were here.

"Don't fire unless threatened," Hama murmured to them both. "Surprise and disarm, but do not engage first. Only if fired upon do you have permission to shoot. Do I make myself clear?"

Both nodded.

"You know what we're trying to achieve here. Apprehend the smugglers and their cargo, and don't let them escape. We're not the only officers here, remember, so since you're inexperienced try and stay out of the firing line." Despite the calm sense of command present in her voice, it was plainly obvious that she was still concerned about their safety.

Again, both recruits nodded.

"Let's move, then. No more speaking for now." Hama looked through the trees, then gestured for them to step forward at the edge of the clearing. Garet and Feizhi did so, taking up position behind a couple of trees and quietly observing.

Garet was tense and plainly nervous, but he did his best effort to hide it and focus. He had a job to do - it was his civic duty. Whatever the case, he was glad that he was wearing standard issue ablative armour.

Two blaster shots rang out over the beach, followed by the shouts of surprised men. Another shot.

Hama stepped forward out of her protective safety and joined the other two sets of police officers that were now advancing on the smugglers. Garet and Feizhi stepped in line behind her, raising their pistols.

Instantly, blaster fire started raining down on the police.

Garet yelled out, surprised, as a shot barely missed his hip. He raised his blaster and fired blindly at the boat, scoring two burns on the metal hull but striking no human targets. Beside him, Hama had fallen into a crouch and fired, felling one smuggler. Feizhi rolled to the side and fired as well, also getting striking home. Around them, the other police officers took their own cover.

A yell rose from the boat, followed by the clattering of metal.

"No more shooting! We surrender! We surrender!"

Two more loud clatters were heard, and then four people on the ship stood up and raised their hands. Immediately, half of the police officers boarded the boat while the others trained their guns on the captives.

And just like that, it was over. Garet's heart raced, but once again he forced himself to stop. His first mission had gone down without a hitch... a good start. Hama and Feizhi stood up again, though neither lowered their weapons. Despite Feizhi's nervousness from before, she appeared as calm and unyielding as her mentor.

"Lieutenant!" one officer called to Hama. "We've found the cargo, and we think you should look."

Hama nodded and gestured for the other two to come with her. Garet shakily followed suit, and Feizhi took up the rear. They boarded the boat and crossed the plain decking to the cabin at the stern. The officer who had spoken gestured inside.

When they entered, they were greeted by a faint purple glow.

"What the..." Garet murmured.

Hama immediately stepped to an open crate in the corner and peered inside. She gasped.

"What is it?" Feizhi asked, now sounding nervous.

The superior officer wordlessly reached into the crate and lifted something out. She turned, revealing to them a small cannister filled with a strange, glowing purple liquid.

"This is Psynergy..." she murmured.

- - - - -

The only announcement of their arrival were two ruby red bolts that pierced the sky in quick succession and met their mark, dropping the Proxian off the jetty and into the water below.

"Perfect shot," Isaac remarked quietly to Jenna.

"I've done better."

Ivan took the death of the guard as his signal and quickly sped up, bringing his boat to the jetty. Isaac quickly jumped up and secured the boat to the dock, before helping Jenna up and waiting for Ivan to bring the equipment. In short order they had equipped their computer gear and were ready to go.

"Alright then," Ivan whispered to them. "No speaking once we get in. Hand signals only. I've been here before, so I'll lead, and make sure you follow me EXACTLY. Don't let any guards see us and get away - shoot them if you have to."

Isaac nervously fingered his pistol. Ivan and Jenna may have had no difficulty with that, but he was only used to blades.

"First we shut off security and lockdown all the doors. Then we can open them as we need them and limit the guards that can get us. Next, we copy the entire database to our laptops - we all get a copy in case something happens - and destroy the computers afterwards. If there are prisoners here, we get them out, and then we set the bomb and leave as fast as possible. Any questions?"

"Do you want a drink with all that?" Jenna commented snidely.

"Yes, but only after this is done." Ivan smiled. "Now let's go."

His two subordinates nodded, and then they proceeded along the jetty and up to the door. Ivan slid a card into a small slot beside the door, and the metallic barrier slid away. Jenna lead, her pistol ready and her gaze intent, while the two males followed closely.

Ivan gestured down a certain hallway and started moving, trusting his companions to take care of anything that showed up from behind. His movements were light and quick, barely making an echo. Isaac found himself admiring the way he was so capable at what he did.

As they reached the first passageway, Ivan stopped and made a quick gesture. There were guards.

Jenna inched forward and peeked around the side for a split second. She held up her index finger - just one guard - and then stepped out and fired. The unsuspecting guard had been coming their way, but the shot caught him in his right eye and toppled him to the ground, lifeless. The brunette girl was deadly with that pistol, it seemed.

She nodded, and they continued on in a straight line. Ivan resumed leading the way through a couple of short turns, then stopped outside an unmarked door. He gestured for Isaac and Jenna to ready themselves right outside the door, then stuck the card item into the gap beside the door. It slid open, revealing a security room and three Proxians.

Four rapid shots later, the three Elementalists were the only ones standing. They hastened into the room, while Jenna gave Isaac a quick look, apparently admonishing the fact that it took him two shots to bring down one person. He rolled his eyes. Ivan closed the door behind them.

"All clear for the moment," he said normally. "This room is soundproof."

"Good." Jenna glanced at Isaac as if to mock him again, but he silenced her with a glare. She smiled slightly and looked around. "I saw cameras out there... why didn't you deal with them?"

"I did," Ivan said with a shrug. He pointed towards the camera monitors, which had a number of clear screens. He pointed to one in particular. "That's where we left the dead guard." Then he pointed to one outside. "And that's where my boat should be."

Isaac blinked. "How did..."

"I installed a program last time I was here, in disguise. Apparently it survived all this time - just a quick signal from the connection on my boat was enough to trigger it and clear all those camera feeds with blank ones. It would have been a little trickier if they'd managed to purge it, but thankfully they didn't."

"Well, I'm impressed," Isaac murmured. He looked at the security screens, then grabbed for his laptop. Ivan followed suit.

"I'll stand guard," Jenna offered. She grabbed a chair from one of the terminals, shoved the body off it, and then sat down by the door.

"Isaac, I'll deal with the full security issues. See if you can uplink into the main computer system from here."

"Got it." Readying his computer, Isaac switched on the wireless network and found an opening in the Proxian system. Good, he wouldn't need to go in via cable. Much easier, albeit less secure. He activated his security programs and got started on searching. It didn't take long.

Once the full assortment of files was at his command, he started making copies onto his own hard drive, constantly checking for security countermeasures or threats. His gaze passed over the files for a moment, and he hesitated... while most seemed to fit in, there were two that did not - a matching image and text document.

"Hey Ivan, what do you make of this?" Isaac tapped his screen. "Those don't seem right..."

Ivan looked. He ousted control from Isaac for a moment to quickly inspect it, then nodded.

"They aren't right. But they're not dangerous, either. I wonder what the filename means, though..."

"What's this?" Jenna asked, without turning.

"A couple of documents labelled 'Mercury Lighthouse," Ivan offered. He glanced at Isaac. "Open the image."

Isaac did so, and a moment later a fullscreen image appeared on his screen. It didn't take Ivan long to suck in his breath.

"Oh my..."

- - - - -

Piers had yet to leave the palace - he was quickly restocking on personal items that he may need. This time, he wasn't expecting to come back after just a short while. He could be away for quite some time, and he wanted to be suitably prepared without needing to make use of Hydros' backing. While he would need it in the end, he didn't want to abuse it. Such a perfect gift...

As he was packing his bags, there came a knock at the door. Without waiting for a response, it opened immediately, revealing Lunpa.

"Piers, please come with me," he said without a moment's hesitation, walking off straight away. Piers looked up, confusion evident, but did as commanded and followed quickly.

"What do you need me for?" the ex-Agent asked.

"Do you have that cannister on your person right now?" Lunpa questioned, without turning.

Piers tapped his pocket - it was still there.

"Yes, it's still here... why?"

"Because we're going to give you an advantage over the Proxians to better aid you in your mission."

It took a moment of comprehension, but the realisation stopped Piers dead in his tracks. Lunpa noticed and stopped as well, turning to face him.

"A-are you serious?" Piers declared. "You can't really intend to-"

"Prox is in the development of something very powerful. Part of the development is in your pocket. Since you're our primary operative working against them, even if unofficially, you could very well be facing humans with the same effects. You might as well face them on an even footing."

He was completely serious. They were giving Piers the option to be augmented as well. It would change him, make him stronger... but were there side effects? What if the substance in the cannister wasn't fully processed? Or what if...

Sheba's image appeared in his mind. And countless faceless images stood behind her, all the victims of what would happen if Prox continued. He didn't hesitate for a second afterward.

"Do it."

- - - - -

**Author's Note:** Considering how long I've been putting this off, it didn't take as much to write as I thought. Good sign. Hopefully you liked it, once again. Once more, no promises as to when the next chapter will arrive, but I'll try to get it done as soon as possible.


	10. Ancients

**Author's Notes: **You know, for the past couple of years I had glandular fever and no-one ever knew. That's part of the reason for my gradually spiralling mental state. But hey, I'm well on the mend. My life is better now. Thanks for putting up with and continuing to read this.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 8 - Ancients**

_For so long now, I've had this little secret inside of me. No-one but my master knew about it... she showed me, just like I had intended to show Feizhi at one point. She showed me that the natural forces in Weyard - the elementals, the building blocks of existence - were more alive and powerful than anyone knew._

_She showed me. And I learnt. And now the natural forces are being used in ways that aren't so natural. The secret isn't so secret any longer. It's all coming to a full circle. And I don't know what to do._

_I wish my master was still alive._

Hama opened her eyes. Her office was dark - it was still very early in the morning. Dawn wouldn't be for another hour or two. Despite the oppressive, overpowering blackness, however, everything was illuminated in a soft purple hue. The canister in front of her glowed with an eerie light, reminiscent of a lava lamp. Peaceful, controlled, and capable of rending the world asunder.

Such was Alchemy.

She stretched slightly. Her muscles had been tense from the earlier raid on the Proxian smugglers, and it was nice to relieve the pressure a little bit. Still, she had a feeling that it would be one of many to come. They were onto them... they had the source of their Project Psynergy in their possession. Even if they didn't try to take it back, they'd still be alert for any further intercepts or reprisals. Something big was happening, and they were going to be cautious from now on.

She wasn't going to get anywhere by keeping her secret any longer. And the police force was too widespread and... corrupt... to do anything about it. Hama needed someone who wouldn't betray her for avaricious ends. She needed Feizhi's help.

There was also Garet Jerra... a new recruit, and not nearly as capable as Feizhi at the present time, but he was still eager and generally seemed trustworthy. She needed as much assistance as she could get... he'd have to do. Her two recruits, the only two she could really count on right now.

Hama hoped it was enough.

- - - - -

"What is this?" Jenna demanded. "It just looks like a tower."

Isaac hesitated, then shook his head. He tapped the screen, pointing to the side. "Look here. There's more to it."

Jenna abandoned her position at the door and moved to join her compatriates. The image was fairly simple - it showed the finalised design for a tower. It was fairly standard in most architectural respects, but at the peak, where a lighthouse beacon was supposed to be, the tower was open-aired. Suspended in the centre, over a large hole that appeared to tunnel through the entire structure, was a giant orb.

Isaac hadn't been pointing at the picture, however - he had been at the small writing in the bottom-right corner.

_"Project Psynergy Stages 3 and 4 - Centre of Operations. Nicknamed the Mercury Lighthouse."_

"So it's related to Project Psynergy..." Jenna said quietly. "What does it do, however? What's the point of building a huge tower like that?"

"It says Centre of Operations," Ivan pointed out, "so it could be exactly that. I don't really trust it, however. Why build a tower like that just for that purpose? It'd be much more cost efficient - not to mention safe - to build a different kind of structure."

"And what do the Stages mean?" Isaac asked.

"Let's check the text document," Jenna suggested.

Isaac did as bade, minimising the image and selecting the text document. As it opened, however, a small window popped up.

"Password protected," Ivan muttered. "Here, let me try."

Jenna held up a hand. "Don't." She typed a quick command, but nothing happened. "That's not good... if we attempted to try for this, we'd have a limited number of attempts to get it right, otherwise the document would delete itself."

"How do you figure?" Isaac asked.

"Simple. It didn't allow me into the source code. Standard passwording programs aren't as foolproof as customised ones, so that simple attempt would have brought up a panel for me to view the source code and determine the nature of the program. But this isn't standard, and considering what we're dealing with here, I wouldn't want to risk it. Just keep it on your laptop and we'll deal with it later."

Ivan chuckled. "Smart."

"Thank you." Jenna grinned.

Isaac did another quick scan of the copied files, but saw nothing else that seemed suspicious. That done, he set his laptop to standby and packed it away. "I'm done."

Ivan matched his actions. "Me too." He turned to the main computer terminal and observed the camera screens again. For a moment, he was still... then he turned to his companions again. "Pack up. Right now. We have to get out of here."

Jenna blinked at the sudden command. "What? Why?"

"Because we've been-"

The lights went out, and all the power in the room died. All that remained on were the two laptops.

"-ambushed."

Isaac hurriedly switched off and put away his computer, his heart racing. Ivan moved to his and tapped in a few quick commands. Nothing happened, and he hissed slightly.

"The network hub is sealed. They've got us. Quickly, pack up, we're going to have to shoot our way out." He matched actions to words, packing his laptop up and stashing it in its case, before drawing his pistol. Isaac readied his own pistol, and kept his energy blade in his left hand.

The room was silent once their weapons were drawn.

"...this isn't good. This room is soundproof, right?" Jenna asked quietly.

"That's right."

"That door is metal, and too big to force open by humans. They can't in here unless they bomb the door... Quickly, take cover!" She quickly laid flat on the ground and pulled her chair down before her, having it act as a barrier. Isaac crouched down near her with another chair, and Ivan took cover underneath the computer desks.

The explosion was amazingly loud - after being almost completely devoid of real background noise, the sudden blast of noise was enough to set their ears ringing. The door swung inwards and fell forward, landing with a huge thud. Instantly, the doorway was filled with a handful of Proxian guards.

Jenna peeked her pistol around the edge of the chair and fired, the energy bolt striking just below the neck of a female Proxian. The attack did little, however - all of them were wearing suits of ablative armour that would stop most shots. The woman stepped back, surprised, by no harm was done to her.

Ivan slid out slightly as well and began pouring shots at the soldiers, not regarding in the slightest whether he was properly hitting or not. The flurry of energy made the Proxians back up and take cover almost instinctively. Isaac was there as they did so, standing and rushing out of cover with his blade at the ready. He stabbed the nearest soldier in the temple before withdrawing the blade and hiding behind the door again.

The soldiers started returning fire, but in very small amounts - apparently they didn't want to damage the computer systems inside. Ivan ducked back again, and Isaac stayed pressed against the wall. The few shots hit the walls or the chairs that were being used as cover, but no real damage was done.

There was silence as the Proxians stopped shooting.

"We'd rather take you alive, so drop your weapons right now and we won't kill you. You'll be well taken care of."

"And we'll be used as pawns in Project Psynergy. No thank you." Ivan held his gun beyond the cover and fired twice more, hitting once but doing negligible damage to the armour.

A clank of metal was heard, and something rolled into the room. Something round and lacking a pin...

Without hesitation, Jenna lunged out of cover and into the open, knocking the grenade away with her free hand and sending it skittering back into the corridor. The soldiers fired at her quickly, and one bullet struck home, hitting Jenna in the ribcage near her right arm. She cried out, but the noise was lost as the grenade exploded outside, enveloping the soldiers in flames and shrapnel.

Isaac ducked away from the door, and Jenna covered her head with her hands to shield herself. Shards of metal hit her arms and stuck there, giving her a number of scratches, but the explosion otherwise left her unharmed.

Silence followed once again for a few seconds, before Ivan moved out of cover.

"That was scary... I haven't been in a firefight like that for a while."

Isaac ignored him completely and moved over to Jenna. She had lowered her arms and was now pressing her hand against the wound on her ribs, keeping pressure applied so the blood wouldn't flow too much.

"That was reckless, but you sure saved us." Isaac shook his head. "Do you have medical supplies on your boat, Ivan?"

"Yes. We'd better get her there quickly."

Jenna sat up slowly, shaking her head. "We have to destroy this place, it's what I came here to do. Stuff orders, this place can't stay standing. They already know that we've been here anyway."

"We can't," Ivan countered. "I would need to hit a support beam or a critical point to bring this down, and we don't have the time to find that out now. We have to get out of here right away. This place can wait another day."

"Blow up this computer room," Isaac said. "They must have other copies of the stuff elsewhere, or they wouldn't have lobbed in a grenade, but we can still slow them down."

"...alright." Ivan grabbed his laptop case and opened one of the other compartments, revealing a lump of plastic explosive. He moved beneath the computer desks again and attached the bomb in suitable places, then wired it all up to a detonator and set a timer. "We have three minutes to clear this immediate vicinity. I'd put it to lower, but we have to be careful about Jenna."

"I'll be fine," she protested, standing quickly. Then she gripped her side and bent forward slightly, looking as if she would keel over.

Isaac hurriedly stood and grabbed her, placing her arm around his shoulder so he could support her. "No heroics. We don't want you to be killed here."

"If you insist..."

Ivan finished up with the explosives and grabbed his case. He looped it over his shoulders, then readied his pistol and grabbed Jenna's laptop case in his free hand. "Let's go quickly, we've wasted too much time."

Isaac grabbed his laptop and then started along, bringing Jenna with him. They moved back the way they had come as quickly as possible, which wasn't nearly as fast as it could have been. In good time they reached the entrance to the dock... only to find that they had company. Three guards stood waiting there, noticing them immediately. They raised pistols and opened fire, barely allowing the Elementalists time to get under cover.

Ivan reached into his laptop case once more and raised a small device that looked like some sort of scanner. Instead of using it, however, he crouched down at the edge of the wall and rolled it out to the guards. One gave a sharp cry and they all made noises as they dove for cover. Ivan then rolled out to the side and crouched in the corridor, raising his pistol and firing. Two of the guards went down in a single shot, and the third almost raised his gun again when Jenna grabbed for her gun and shot him.

Without waiting, Ivan moved ahead again, standing at the door. He gestured for Isaac and Jenna to get through first, keeping his gun up to take down any guards that should surface.

As Isaac helped Jenna onto the jetty, however, the metal door slammed down between them and Ivan, sealing him in the facility.

"Ivan!" they both yelled out, facing the door.

"Oh great... get out of here alone you guys! You have the laptop with the files, so you need to get out of here! The boat password is Contigo, now go!" There was a faint sound of footsteps, and then he was gone.

After a moment's hesitation, Isaac started back down the jetty towards the boat. Jenna reluctantly followed. She pulled free of Isaac's help as soon as they reached the end, and she slumped onto the deck, leaning against the hull.

"I'll be right back," Isaac said as he dropped his laptop case there. He sprinted up to the 'throne' of the ship and started up the computer there. A password input bar appeared on the screen as soon as he started it. Isaac typed in 'Contigo', remarking for a moment on how strange a password that was for Ivan, before getting to work on starting everything. It didn't take him too long to get a grasp of it, and in no time at all the boat's engines activated and sped them away.

Isaac leaned back into the chair and heaved a sigh of relief, feeling the aftereffects of adrenalin. He was suddenly fatigued, but he couldn't let that stop him - he had to help Jenna. Moving out of the chair, he qiuckly headed back towards her.

She was still leaning against the side of the boat, but she seemed to be a lot worse now. Her face was drawn and pale, and she was breathing slowly and shallowly. It looked like she was going into shock. Blood had soaked a large part of her shirt, though it was nearly invisible against the dark colour of the garment. Her bare hand was very red, however, which made it look much more serious. Isaac moved over to her.

"Okay, let me have a look at this..." Isaac slowly pried her hand away from the wound, wincing as he looked at it. The wound wasn't too bad - it had burned clean through the skin, but had been at an angle so it wasn't too deep. One of her ribs was slightly exposed beneath the injured flesh, but it wouldn't be lethal.

"We lost Ivan..." she muttered. "That was a great start to our job..."

"Don't worry too much about that," Isaac said. "There's no point in worrying about that now, what's done is done. He's resourceful, I'm sure he of all people will manage to get out of there somehow."

"Yeah..." Jenna shuddered slightly, apparently from pain.

Isaac moved her hand back to the wound to stop the blood from seeping further. "Hold on, I'll get a bandage to keep that closed for you." He did as he said, moving into the living cabins and opening the medical chest. He came back with a bandage and wrapped it around her midsection several times, not game enough to try and have her lift the shirt first. Undergarments or not, this was Jenna, and he didn't want to risk her wrath.

Despite everything, that inwardly made him smile. Outside, however, his expression was very serious.

"Ivan is missing, no prisoners were found or recovered, and we didn't destroy the place like we should have, even with those orders in place. At least we got the information... but it wasn't a good start." He sighed.

"Thanks," Jenna murmured as he finished with the bandage. She laid her head back against the hull and closed her eyes, trying to rest.

"My pleasure."

- - - - - - - - - -

Garet moved through the halls of the Madra Police Station, having been summoned from his home only an hour or two after he had arrived back at it. He'd expected that he'd be needed for mopping up elements of the night raid, but he had also hoped that they would have granted him some sleep first... no matter, he'd just have to deal with it as best as he could.

Moving quickly through the other police officers, he found his way to the Senior Sergeant's office and knocked on the door.

"Come," Hama said from the other side.

Garet opened the door and looked in. The blinds were all still shut, leaving the room dark... but one of the cannisters that they had seized hours before sat on the table, illuminating the room with a faint purple glow. It was eerie, and Garet instinctively felt on his guard. Hama sat behind her desk, and Feizhi was seated in the chair before her,

"You sent for me?"

"I did. Come in and sit down, Garet."

He'd been expecting something a bit different than his first name, so his reaction was just a little slow. Nonetheless, Garet moved into the office and shut the door behind him, taking a seat beside Feizhi. She had a serious look on her face, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in her usual smirk.

"What's going on?" Garet asked, deciding that formalities didn't seem to be necessary.

"Quite a bit is going on. And I need help with it, from two people that I can trust." Hama's gaze passed between the two a few times before she continued. "I find myself in a situation of which I have a lot of knowledge, but few others do. I've already explained part of this to Feizhi, but I'll say it again - I cannot trust the entire public to know about what is happening. We may have another Prox War on our hands, and that could create panic if people were informed at this stage. I need you both to help me with what I must do, and I need a vow that you will be completely silent."

Garet raised an eyebrow. This was interesting... he had expected from Hama's reaction to the Proxian cargo that there was something more at work here. But... another Prox War? That was a huge thing...

"Can you both promise me," Hama continued, "that you do not discuss what I'm about to say with anyone other than the three of us here, and only when in private?"

Both nodded. Garet looked a bit dubious, though.

"Why me?" He asked simply.

"Because you have all the requirements to be a very capable person in this police force, but you haven't yet been tainted by corruption. I hope to keep it that way."

Surprised by the open praise, he opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it and nodded again.

"Good. Now that I have your vows, I can explain." Hama picked up the cannister and held it in the air between them. "As you know, we seized a crate of these only a few hours ago. I know what they are, but no-one else here does. They've been marked as illegal contraband and are being held in this station until we can ship them to a laboratory for tests. While that's not required, I'm keeping my knowledge a secret, because that knowledge could end up being Prox onto this station openly."

"So what is it?" Feizhi asked, sounding just a little impatient.

"As you might have heard me say, this is a container of Psynergy." Hama closed her eyes for a moment. "I'll start at the very beginning. Modern science will tell you that there are well over a hundred different elements in Weyard. This is true, but there are also four driving forces behind this all. These forces are ultimately what combined to shape the world when it was first created - whether through divine intervention or through a natural process, I don't know. Nonetheless, these four driving forces - or elements - are fire, water, wind, and earth.

"Now, when the first humans came to be, they knew about the four elements of creation. They were even able to manipulate them - some people could shape fire, others could cause earthquakes, and so on. This is because the elements took shape in the forms of microscopic bacteria and flourished throughout the world, spreading through humans. They're symbiotic organisms - if they bond with a person, they live in that persons system, but they also allow a person the mental power to control their particular element. Because these creatures were so commonplace at the beginning, practically everyone had this power. They called it and the bacteria Psynergy, and the four elements came to be known as Alchemy."

Garet thought it sounded a bit far-fetched, but the sincerity in Hama's voice was someting he couldn't deny. She believed it, at the very least, so out of respect he listened closely to her story.

"As we've seen in modern times, though, people quickly become addicted to power. Two strains of Psynergy could not naturally exist within one host body - they would conflict for nourishment within the human body and the newcomer would quickly be expelled. As a result, distinctions began to build up between the people possessing certain elements - they formed close-knit circles within societies and eventually all split up and united under four separate superpowers across the world. The elements quickly took new names - Fire became Mars, Water became Mercury, Earth became Venus, and Air became Jupiter. Much of what is now Gondowan was possessed by those controlling Mars, Contigo was all Jupiter territory, Venus territory covered Osenia, and Tundaria was Mercury. Angara and Prox are special in this case, because they remained separate from the superpowers and were friendly to all elements.

"Now, as I've said, the early people became addicted to their power. And with that addiction, they wanted more. Since they could not possess all the elements at once, each nation sought to bring the others into their fold and become the dominant element. In time, a vast war broke out across the world. It lasted for centuries with no side gaining too much ground for long without being pushed back. Since total domination seemed out of the question after a while, they took a new approach - rather than bring them into the fold, the nations simply raided and destroyed as many places where the bacteria naturally occurred. Within just a decade, the bacteria quickly became a very scarce thing. While some places still exist even today, most were wiped out, and the power of Psynergy began to decline.

"The war finally ended when the ancients realised what they had done. Psynergy can be passed on through families, but as the strength of Psynergy wavered, this was no longer the case. Psynergy disappeared a century later, and it hasn't emerged again in a few millenia. But not all sources were destroyed." Hama waved the cannister around. "This proves that, and it also proves that someone in Prox knows of ancient history. The records of the ancient war weren't keeped - very few at the time kept records, and most of what was kept was simply destroyed. However, someone in the Proxian high command has discovered Psynergy again. If they use it the wrong way, then... the ancient war could be repeated."

Garet and Feizhi were silent as all the information sank in. All of a sudden the world seemed a whole lot larger to them, and they were right in the middle of what seemed to be a huge, Weyard-spanning plot.

"Wait," Garet said after a moment, placing a hand on the desk as if to steady himself. "If all records were gone, and Psynergy has disappeared... how in Weyard do YOU know about all this?"

Hama smiled slightly, and placed the cannister on the table.

"Watch closely."

She placed her hand, palm up, just above the table. Her eyes closed, and she focused. It seemed to Garet as if she was beginning to glow slightly. Then his breath left him. Within her hand was a ball of lightning. It hovered above her palm, lazily moving from side to side. Hama opened her eyes and held her other hand out to the side. The tiny ball of lightning shimmered for a moment, then launched itself at her other hand, leaving a trail of lightning running between them.

Feizhi gasped. Garet stared in disbelief.

"I know this because Psynergy didn't completely disappear. Not from Weyard, and not from humans either. On each continent, particularly Angara, there are places where Alchemy naturally occurs. And there are people who keep the knowledge to the past, and the knowledge of Psynergy, to make sure that it is never truly forgotten." Hama gave them a small smile. "I'm the last Jupiter Adept."

- - - - - - - - - -

Ivan sprinted through the compound, keeping his blaster ready. His laptop was at his side, but it was now altered - he had removed the hard drive where he kept all his information and shot it to pieces. While he could still use the laptop as it was, at least now the secrets of the Elementalists and all the other hacks he'd performed were out of Proxian hands.

He skidded around a corner and fired a snap shot at a nearby figure. The guard was struck squarely in the back and fell before even realising that Ivan was there. He continued running, firing shots off at any guard he saw. Some dodged, some fell, but none of them seemed to pursue him. That immediately made Ivan suspect a trap, but there was nothing he could do. He was desperate - he had to get out, and there was only one way to do that now.

The installation did not exist in complete isolation - supplies and people went back and forth between it and other places, most likely in Prox. Ivan had checked the installation schematics - there was a small dock on the opposite side from where he'd landed. There had to be a boat that he could hijack. Of course, there would doubtless be guards, but he had no other choice than to run the gauntlet and hope he'd make it through.

Ivan turned into another corner - the home stretch. The dock would be just ahead now. He fired another snap shot to clear the path...

And the shot struck a wall of fire.

Ivan skidded to a halt and stared in disbelief. Before him stood a wall of guards, like he'd expected - six Proxians lined up in the hall, with energy pistols levelled at him. But before them stood another man. While he was wearing the same kind of uniform as them, it was marked in the centre with an odd symbol that looked like the letter 'M' made out of fire. His blue hair stood at end, and he was wearing a headband that covered most of his skull.

What surprised Ivan, however, was the fact that the man's arm was outstretched and the wall of fire emanated from it. His shot had hit the fire and dispersed, even though by all accounts it should have passed through. That was no normal fire - it was one made only from raw energy.

It all clicked into place in Ivan's mind.

"You've been augmented already..." he addressed the man. "They've already got soldiers with Psynergy."

"That's right," the man said with a cruel smile. "Too bad that you won't be telling anyone about what you saw."

Ivan raised his pistol and started firing shots rapidly, both at the man and at the guards behind him. The Psynergy-user raised both his hands and pointed them at every shot that came down the hall - all of them struck a wall of fire that disappeared immediately after.

He stopped shooting, his heart gripped by fear. Too powerful! He couldn't even touch him!

The man then held his hands forwards, pointing them directly at Ivan. Two spheres of flame appeared in his open palms for a brief moment. From within them, two strands of flame in the form of a serpent shot out with lightning-fast speed, striking the Elementalist dead in the chest.

Ivan was unconscious before he hit the ground.

- - - - - - - - - -

Agatio lowered his hands and calmly walked over to the unconscious hacker. Merely a teenager, but such a skilled one... he'd be great for Project Psynergy, if only he was on the other side. As it was, he'd only be a worthless tool, rather than a true Adept like himself. He looked over his soldier at the supporting guards who were standing behind him, silently keeping their weapons trained on the prone intruder.

"Take him to the cells and implement Stage One on him, then alter his memory." He paused. "Use Jupiter - we've found a new source of that, so it won't be in short supply anymore."

Agatio smiled as the soldiers obeyed his commands. He loved his job.

- - - - - - - - - -

A raid near Madra... infiltration by a group of a group of hackers at the Imil installation... Alex sighed, shifting his final few papers to the side of his desk. He really didn't need this now. Everything had been running so smoothly, right up until now. At least there were some counterbalances to the news - the first direct Venus augmention of Stage Two had been completely successful, and Felix was being assigned to work with the others of Stage One. And one of the hackers at Imil had been detained, and was now having his memory configured. Another Stage One candidate, and a skilled one at that. Excellent.

People were becoming wary of the existence of Project Psynergy. But the information was still contained and divided well - no-one had the complete puzzle yet. No-one but himself, the mastermind behind the entire operation.

Alex sat back in his chair, thinking. They had finally found a source of concentrated Jupiter bacteria, but most of it had been intercepted in the Madra raid and would be of little use. They only had the diluted and imperfect substance, that of Stage One, for that whole area. So be it - that would have to do. They'd extract more soon enough. Venus augmention could begin soon enough, and then all four factors of Stage Two would be ready.

Then for the crescendo. Four key points across Weyard were being secured for Stage Three already, and they would have it ready in weeks. Stage One implementation would continue unimpeded until that point, and direct augmention would become mandatory for all of his staff in just a few days.

Prox would have their place in the world soon. They could take revenge, regain what was theirs, rule the world... whatever they wished. Alex would be there as they wanted, and he would be well rewarded too. And then, once Project Psynergy was finished and everything had calmed down, no matter who won... he smiled. Surely Prox suspected that he had an ulterior motive, even if it was just for the fact that he was Lemurian. He had no intention of betraying them, though, he'd simply work around them. That was the best way to avoid a sticky end.

Alex smiled, fully reaffirmed of his situation. Everything would end up fine, despite the rats biting at his heels. In a little while he'd kick them away and continued on his path. Nodding in satisfaction, he reached for one of his final papers.

And his mood evaporated instantly. It couldn't be... how could they have lost it! He stood bolt upright and strode from his office, his features twisted from anger. He slammed the door shut behind him, not even noticing that the door frame was instantly covered with ice. He had to fix this...

- - - - - - - - - -

**Author's Notes: **This chapter came out very, very differently from how I'd originally pictured it. But it still came out very good - I'm really happy with this one. Hopefully you liked it. I had every intention of finishing this sooner, but my computer has been in repairs twice in the last three months, and various other things have shown up to impede me. It really didn't take that long to write when I got started, though, so perhaps there's promise for an earlier chapter. Here's hoping!


	11. Spread

**Author's Notes: **Heh, my apologies to Spirit Seer for not answering your question. AU stands for Alternate Universe, which implies that the marked story is not set in the canon world. Hence Project Psynergy. Hope that clears things up. Moving on...

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 9 - Spread**

He was tired, there was no doubt about that. Deep down he knew that he was absolutely insane for pushing his body like this, but he refused sleep. He didn't want to sleep, and he couldn't sleep with so much attention riding on him. When Ivan had been on the boat, he had almost constantly been in this chair, looking at this computer, controlling all this technology. He had slept, but then he had asked Isaac or Jenna to watch for him in case of any anomalies. There was autopilot, sure, but Ivan simply didn't trust machines enough to let them run without being watched. Isaac was simply filling the void.

Isaac could have woken Jenna and asked her to do it, but he instinctively shot down that thought. She'd been shot - a non-lethal shot that was already beginning to mend, yes, but it wouldn't mend if she didn't rest. So he let her do that, leaving her alone to her own devices except for when he occasionally went below to check on her.

It had been only a day since Imil. Night had set, and the stars shone overhead. They were pretty - untainted by the haze and light of human habitation, and as numerous as the people who lived below. Isaac had found himself looking at them a lot this evening, losing himself in them. It seemed better than facing reality. He didn't know how the Elementalists would take the loss of their best hacker, he didn't know if Jenna would really be alright, and he still didn't know a damned thing about Project Psynergy, Mercury Lighthouse, or anything they'd seen.

He gritted his teeth and balled his fists. Lack of sleep was making him irrational and overly emotional. Come morning, he would have been awake for two whole days. He didn't care, though. Isaac was still a little... shocked. Everything was suddenly becoming overwhelming and oppressing, and nothing made sense. He hated it. No other event in his life - that he could recall, anyway, which wasn't much - had caused him this much grief and confusion. Hacking was complex, but it was always within bounds. Swordsmanship was simplicity within complexity - there was so much someone could do against him, and what he could do against them, but it all seemed logical and reasonable.

These Proxians had just taken Weyard, given it a shake, set it back down and stomped all over the result. And no-one even _knew_. Angrily, Isaac slammed his fist against the side of the cabin.

"Easy, you'll break something."

Isaac hurriedly span in his chair to face the voice. Jenna stood in the doorway, leaning against it slightly. She still looked a little paler than normal, but there was no mistaking the life in her eyes. She'd be fine. He was now completely certain of that.

"Sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind." He leaned back in his chair and turned to face the monitor again, putting a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn.

"You'd better go to sleep." She sounded genuinely worried. Her footsteps clattered across the floor as she moved forward and sat down on the free chair.

"No, I can't." Isaac shook his head. "You were shot - you need to rest, and I need to stay on guard as a result."

"Right. You can stay up all night, again, and finally collapse in the morning as exhaustion gets to you. Stop being stupid and listen to reason, already. I'm fine, I'm not going to do anything overly strenuous, and I can certainly manage a night shift after how much I've been sleep today."

Jenna's words cut deep and hit home, and part of Isaac's mind chorused in agreement with her.

"Alright, alright." He yawned again. "But not right now. Shortly." He looked over the diagnostics on the monitor, making sure that everything was going fine. He didn't really want to talk to her... not out of spite or anger, he just didn't know what to say, and he was suddenly afraid of doing something stupid. Isaac was not a people person, usually.

"Where are we?" Jenna questioned.

"In a couple of hours, we'll start swinging southeast to go around the eastern coast of Angara." His tone seemed very flat, and he immediately felt bad. He wondered if Jenna would be insulted by it.

"...I have a question." She certainly didn't sound insulted.

"What's that?"

"Just who are you?"

Isaac looked over at her. That was NOT what he'd been expecting at all. "Come again?"

"Who are you really? Are you really just some hacker from Alhafra, or is there more to you? You mentioned that nobody knows of your past. And you also mentioned Vale to me once... is that where you came from? When did you leave? Why? Things like that. I want to know, even if you can barely remember."

His expression was perplexed. "W-why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

"After. Just answer." Jenna's gaze was locked on his eyes, with such intensity that he almost felt like shying away. He didn't understand her request at all, and really didn't know how to proceed. To avoid her gaze, he looked away. His view fixated on the stars above, again. Seeing no way out of it, he began talking.

"Well... unfortunately, your guess is as good as mine." Isaac shrugged. "I've had memory issues for a while... some kind of trauma, maybe, but I have no idea. I just know that I ended up in Alhafra one day, with a suitcase of clothes and my laptop. I remember a little, but hardly enough to tell you that much."

"Surely you must know something. Tell me what you can!"

"I... uh... well, I can remember that I came from Vale. I know my age and birthday, and I know my first name, but I don't know my family name. Any memories of before that first day in Alhafra are beyond me. That's all I can really tell you about that..."

Isaac looked over at her. She wasn't looking at him now, but she did seem very eager and very excited. It was almost like seeing a ten-year-old version of Jenna sitting in that seat all of a sudden. Somehow, that thought was extremely unnerving.

"Did you have family at all? Siblings, maybe?"

He thought about that for a moment. "I'm fairly certain that I'm an only child. No siblings."

Her expression sank, and Isaac realised.

"If you have some long-lost brother, I'm not him," he said simply. "But since I revealed all that, maybe you should tell me about yourself. Why are you asking me all this?"

Jenna looked back at him for a moment, then returned her gaze to out beyond the front of the boat. "I was almost certain by what you were saying that you and I were connected somehow. You see, the same thing happened to me. It was two years ago that you ended up in Alhafra, right?"

"Yes, but I..." Isaac stopped mid-sentence and realised that he hadn't actually said that to her.

"I started in Alhafra in much the same way. Limited memories, no sign of any friends or family, and no possessions but a laptop. Unlike you, my memories limit me from knowing anything about myself. My name is Jenna, I'm seventeen years old, and I have a brother." She shrugged. "That's it. I don't know where I'm from, I don't know anything about my past life, my family... nothing. When you said you didn't know your past, that made me think about it... and then when you said that you were just like me..." her voice cracked, and she stopped speaking.

Isaac was almost stunned to see her with her eyes closed, fighting back tears. She hadn't shed a tear when she'd been shot, and now here she was... emotions were powerful things.

"That would be why you're a hacker too," he quietly. "Trying to find your past and your family, just like me."

She nodded, still silent.

"Well... even if we're not family, it's still something that we ended up in the same place at the same time with the same conditions. I have no business believing in fate and destiny, but it's certainly a good thing that we ended up in the same occupation." He smiled, even if she couldn't see it. "I suppose there's no point in existing separately with those circumstances. So, Elementalist work or otherwise, I'll stay nearby to help you out and maybe find your memories."

Jenna looked over at him, rubbing at her eyes slightly. "Would you really?"

"Only if you can lend me a hand with my own past."

"I can do that." She smiled, tears forgotten. "Thanks Isaac... I'd hug you, but..." she looked down at her bandaged ribcage and laughed lightly. "That would probably hurt like hell."

Isaac laughed with her. "All is forgiven."

Jenna smiled at him for a moent, then turned serious. "Now that we've had that discussion... go to sleep and get some rest or I'll beat you over the head with your laptop until you're asleep that way." She grinned.

"Such a violent young woman." Isaac grinned back. "Fine, but I'll make you sorry if something happens or you have problems in the night, got it?"

"That won't happen." She approached him and gestured for him to move from the main seat, which he did. "Have a pleasant rest."

Nodding, Isaac walked away and returned to the room with their beds. Jenna's was still tousled and unmade, which made him smile again. Definitely a tomboy in some ways, though that didn't matter. It wasn't really a bad thing. Isaac removed his shoes and laid on his bed, quickly realising just how tired he had become. He was asleep in moments, his mind wandering over their discussion.

- - - - -

The earth shook around the two. Cracks tore open in the ground, tremors imbalanced them, and the sliding motion of the rocks made their feet slip on the ground. With amazing co-ordination and determination, however, one of them fought the ground, balancing for just a moment before jumping at his opponent, his weakened energy blade at the ready.

His opponent was far too skilled to be thrown completely off, though, and he was ready. Their swords clashed together and held as Felix landed, and Saturos smiled at his pupil. They pulled back at the same time and kept themselves in a defensive stance.

"Venus augmentation, very nice... I wonder what the other two are like." Saturos' smile widened. "What else can you use it for?"

"Just you watch." Felix ran at him, his sword held back and trailing behind him. As he came within striking distance, he brought his sword forward in an uppercut. Saturos was ready for it and almost lazily brought his sword to block it. Felix pulled his sword away almost instantly but didn't slow down - instead he moved to the right and sliced at his mentor's side.

The Proxian hadn't expected that, and his movements were therefore a little shaky. He caught the blade, but was caught completely off guard when Felix pointed his free hand at him... and a good-sized boulder flew through the air towards him. Saturos saw it out of the corner of his eye and threw himself backwards, avoiding the rock narrowly but hitting the ground hard. He grunted in pain and tried to sit up...

But Felix was already there, his energy blade held above his throat.

"I can also do that." The youth was grinning.

Saturos smiled slightly at his enthusiasm, then surreptitiously pulled his leg back and kicked Felix at the back of the knee. He yelled and lost his balance, falling in the snow, just as Saturos pulled his legs up and handsprung back to his feet. He backed away and readied his sword, still smiling.

Felix hurriedly got back to his feet with much less grace than his teacher, reddening slightly.

"You weren't paying attention," his mentor chided him.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Not a problem, but just be warned that I'm more forgiving than a real opponent." Saturos raised his free palm and called his Psynergy forth, then thrust his arm forward at Felix, sending a fireball rushing at him.

Felix had seen it coming and sidestepped hurriedly, only to find Saturos launching another at him. And another. And another... realising that this was going to continue, he hurriedly dodged and raised his arm, channeling his Psynergy. The earth before him raised up and formed a wall between the two, and he could hear a number of fireballs strike the rocky barrier and dissipate.

As soon as the sounds stopped, Felix thrust his arm forward. The rock wall shattered, and then one-by-one the pieces lifted up and launched themselves at where Saturos had been. But they went wide - the Proxian fighter had already moved from that spot and was approaching Felix from the side. The youth prepared to alter his aim, but there was no time - his teacher was atop him. Hurriedly he brought his sword up to block the attack, backing away as he did so.

Saturos continued his assault, striking twice more in quick succession. Felix narrowly blocked them all, but was caught off-guard when Saturos launched another fireball at his student. The blast caught him in the stomach, and it knocked him to the snow. Rather than set him ablaze or burn him, Saturos had simply set his attack to strike hard and then dissipate. Psynergy gave its users plenty of different ways to use its powers.

"Alright, I think that's enough of a spar today," Saturos said, switching off his blade and clipping it to his belt. "I've seen your Psynergy, you've seen mine, and we threw stuff at each other. Good tests - we'll have to keep at this to try and find new ways of using these abilities."

Felix nodded and sat up, brushing his stomach slightly to clear away the faint traces of ash that had appeared. "This is amazing... I'd never have thought that people could do this kind of thing."

Saturos nodded. "It's almost like something somebody wrote in a story, huh? Still, we've only just begun. This is good practice, and I've already learnt a few things about what we can do." He held up a finger. "For a start, your abilities are big and destructive, but using them costs you a lot of mobility. At your current level, you can't really toss boulders around all over the place while running." He held up a second finger. "Whereas my abilities aren't quite as powerful, but I can launch them really quickly and seem to have a freedom of movement about me."

Felix nodded again, standing up. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I had to focus to make that wall, and had to focus harder to break it and throw pieces at you."

"I'm sure I could manipulate my attacks to have a lot more punch and power," Saturos mused, "but what I reach for by default is only light attacks. You're the opposite. Fighting like this will require a bit more practice and tweaking, especially against another augmented person."

"Though there aren't any augmented people outside of Prox," Felix noted, "so you're not likely to ever do that outside of spars like this."

"Good point. Lots of things to consider." He stretched. "Well, I'm going to go and find Menardi. I'll meet up with you later, alright?"

"Right." He deactived his energy blade and clipped it to his belt before watching Saturos walk off. He then went off in a different direction, thinking about the past few days.

Such a lot had chnaged. Not long ago, he'd been curious as to what Saturos and Menardi had been doing consorting with Alex. And then he'd been approached by Alex himself and brought into the fold, even though Saturos had said that such a thing was unlikely to happen. And now... Felix was the only one with Venus augmentation. According to Alex, it was the only Psynergy strain that they had yet to find a reliable source of, and as a result they only had found enough to supplement one person.

So Mars Psynergy, which was available in large quantities, was being used to augment every individual Proxian involved in Alex's work over the next few days. Why he didn't intend to spread it out was beyond anyone, but Alex had his reasons, and he was extremely good at what he did. So few questioned... for the moment. Felix still had questions himself. What of the other two strains? They were available, but no-one had been given them yet... apparently the shipment of Jupiter Psynergy had been taken, but there was no word on any Mercury Psynergy.

The whole series of events was making for vast amounts of questions. Most seemed to just go with it, especially after what Alex had been promising. But Felix was not Proxian. He didn't really know who he was - much of his memory of his life prior to his five years in Prox were gone. He was content with what he had found, but he knew that it wouldn't be what he remained at for the rest of his life.

For now, he merely lived where he could, waiting until he could have a chance to go out and find his memories. Now that seemed like it would become hard though. All he could do was contemplate what he'd be doing soon, what he was capable of...

...and what he could be used for.

- - - - -

Mia walked through the many halls and corridors of what was essentially her prison. The Elementalists were siclers for security, and their establishment was a reflection of this. Cameras were watching her every move, covering practically every section of the place. Security specialists worked day and night ensuring that no-one did anything suspicious, while maintaining all the features that would keep inquisitive visitors out. It was practically a fortress.

She didn't care about being seen right now - that's what she wanted. If she wandered around for long enough, perhaps someone might show up to stop her, and then she could actually get directions. Otherwise, she had no better options than to search the building on her own. Two consecutive and similar nightmares, two cases where she was completely soaked without putting water on any other object... it was strange, and even frightening. Mia wanted answers.

And the best place that she could get them was the Elementalists walking source of information - the ex-historian known as Kraden.

Her fruitless searching of the building finally hit the mark - after a lot of searching, Mia had encountered the library. It wasn't much of a library in the real sense of the word - there were only a handful of bookshelves within the room, mixed within a number of tables. The tables each held their own computer - the real information sources of the modern age. The vast majority of the world's books and information was now digitised and freely accessible across the internet, and so now most libraries were just a number of computers with highly efficient search programs.

Seated at the computer closest to the door, facing her but busy reading a book, was Kraden. Mia had met him just once, when Ivan had returned to the Elementalist facility after her rescuing her. After arguing profusely with a number of professionals, Kraden had entered and dispelled the impending firefight immediately. He had calmly ordered the other officials to leave, and then allowed Ivan to explain himself. Much of what was said was beyond her understanding - something about Psy-energy or something like that - but Kraden had seemed alarmed. Ivan had discussed the situation with him for a good hour, always fiercely protecting his own views, before the old man had finally consented to let her stay there.

It was the other things that they had said that had really worried her, however. Ivan, when talking about Psy-energy or whatever it was, had mentioned experiments on innocent people. That had immediately alarmed her... had Proxians really been experimenting on people? Had they experimented on... her? Maybe that would account for all the sudden problems that she'd encountered as an apprentice psychologist. Ivan had rescued her from a strange tower that was near Imil, so it could be...

But then what was this Psy-energy? What had happened to her? What was really going on? That's what Mia was here to find out...

"Kraden?" she said, acknowledging his presence rather than asking if that was his name.

The old man ignored her and turned a page in his very large book, clearly very focused on it.

"Kraden!" Mia said, a little more insistent this time.

Kraden visibly jumped in surprise and sat back, straightening his glasses. He peered through them at her, looking partially shaken and partially worried.

"Oh, sorry, I was reading... I get very hard to distract when I get into a book." He smiled sheepishly and closed the large tome, looking serious again. He studied her for a brief moment. "How can I help you?"

"You could let me go home..." Mia knew he wouldn't, yet she had asked the question to see how he would react. Clearly Kraden wasn't a convincing actor - his face immediately expressed his disquiet.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that's a good idea... I'd like to let you be on your way as if this didn't happen, but unfortunately it did happen. So we're keeping you here now for your protection, just in case the Proxians want to silence you for what you might have seen." It sounded convincing enough, but there was more to it. Mia was training to be a psychologist - she could tell from his vocal inflections that he wasn't revealing everything.

Mia nodded. "Of course... perhaps you could tell me about what the Proxians were doing, then? Since I'm involved in this regardless, you could at least ease my mind."

"Well, for confidentiality reasons I can't do that. Even if you are involved, you're not of a high enough authorisation to-"

The Imilian girl shook her head, mildly annoyed at his word games. "You're holding me captive, then, without telling me anything. You give me reasons and hide the truth, justified about your own position. I won't have that - tell me what is going on, or I'll try my best to make the aftermath of this whole thing very, very hard on you and your 'Elementalist' group."

Kraden seemed taken aback by her direct approach. Nonetheless, he remained steadfast. "You're not in a position to do such things..."

Emotions seemed to overcome her reasoning, and in an instant she was standing, leering down at the old man. She pressed her hands on the desk... and the wood beneath them immediately froze. Ice spread from beneath her fingers, coating the area around her hands in frost in a matter of seconds. Kraden gasped and sat back, his eyes wide. He looked up at her, comprehending immediately.

Mia was slightly surprised, too, but she had already overcome that immediate fear... after her drowning dream, she had slowly become able to manipulate and create ice and water. Despite how... incomplete her newfound powers seemed, she had enough control over them to do this. Perhaps that would help her get her point across...

Kraden calmed down slightly and sat forward again, looking directly at her. He looked partly curious, partly afraid, and partly concerned. "Sit down please, Mia."

Wordlessly, she sat down again. Her hands moved from the tabletop without the slightest bit of resistance from the ice. It remained there, unmoving, so Mia focused on it until it receded and quickly disappeared.

Kraden sighed. "That's what the Proxians are doing. They've created something that they call Psynergy - it's a special bacteria which joins with a host body and allows them to control one of the four elements of nature, fire, water, earth, and wind. You and a number of Imilian citizens were abducted as experiments, most likely as prototypes to see if it really works. Had Ivan not retrieved you, they would have altered your memory, and you would have been returned home. No harm done."

She was listening intently now, and as a result Mia wasn't paying close attention to his features. What she was hearing seemed impossible, but then again, what she could do seemed just as impossible. She continued to pay attention.

"We don't know their motives, though we believe it's for supremacy. After the Proxian War, they were stripped of pretty much everything they had, becoming relatively unimportant in the world. This is a chance for them to get revenge... even if they were the aggressors in the first place. As I said, we think you and the others are just prototypes while they test the Psynergy out. We... ah, here they are."

Mia blinked at his sudden declaration, but then she heard a number of footsteps. A dozen or so Elementalists came into the room, all armed... and all pointing their weapons at her. She quickly stood and stepped away from the table, suddenly fearful. She looked around, eyeing the pistol wielding guards around her. Kraden stood up and looked at her, appraising her coolly. He looked sad... but now she wasn't sure if it was an act or if it was sincere.

"I'm really sorry about this, Mia. This isn't my decision to do this, but I'm not the leader of the Elementalists. My hands are tied. You're of no real harm to us, but we can't let you get away... for your safety, and for everyone else in the world. You'll have to stay here for a while."

A guard approached with his pistol still out, and gestured for her to turn around and head out the door. Afraid and feeling somehow betrayed, Mia obeyed. The guards closed in on her, and led her out of the library and towards her room... soon to become her cell.

- - - - -

"Alex is really in a jam right now," Karst said idly to Menardi. She took a bite out of the apple she was holding. The two were sitting in their quarters, idly passing time until they were assigned to a task. Agatio had left a few days ago, and Saturos had followed not long ago, leaving the sisters to practice and tutor some of the newly altered soldiers. Most of them had already passed through the transition without a hitch, and were learning how to better control their abilities. Things were coming to a head - Alex had proven to the Proxian leaders that he could do this.

"What do you mean by that?" Menardi asked, seeming somewhat distracted. She didn't like being apart from Saturos - they'd been best friends for years now, and it still didn't seem right whenever he wasn't on hand.

Karst took another bite. "Nearly all of the pure, condensed Jupiter Psynergy was taken in the Madra raid. You know that much. You also know that there still isn't enough Mercury Psynergy to have Stage Two representatives - there was only enough for one person. That person was freed and taken away by the hacker raid at the Imil Installation. People in Izumo discovered the operations there to retrieve Venus Psynergy, and they're threatening war if we continue - not a real issue for the near future, but it limits us now. All we have is us Mars Adepts."

Psynergy users in the compound, in search of a new designation, had started to call themselves Adepts. Alex had mentioned the term once, and Agatio had begun calling them that all the time. It stuck, so now everyone was mimicking it.

"That's still better than anything any other country can field," Menardi countered.

"But it's still a huge deal to Alex. He always seems calm and smily most of the time, but he's been flying into those rages of his a lot more lately. It's getting to him, and I'll bet he's starting to hate the fact that he runs the show." Karst shrugged. "Just making idle conversation with you, dear sister."

"I know. I just miss Saturos."

"Of course you do." Karst took one last bite out of her apple, then dropped the core into a nearby bin. "You really should go out with him sometime, you'd be a good match."

Menardi flushed red, embarassed at the statement, but she looked somewhat angry. "Must you?" It was a little more vehement than she'd expected.

"Calm down already." Karst rolled her eyes. "Your Psynergy is giving you a temper. You should learn to control that, Saturos wouldn't appreciate it if you bite his head off like that."

Slowly, Menardi calmed down. "It's not like that."

"Only because you haven't made it so yet. You'd be a good pair, but hey, that's up to you." She stood and stretched. "I won't say anything more. I wonder how they're doing anyway... where was Saturos assigned to, anyway?"

"Madra. He had and a few others were going to perform a little mission... Alex wants his Psynergy shipment back."

"Nice. I wonder if-"

Alex's voice came out over the intercom. "Menardi, Karst, please report to my office as soon as you can. The sooner the better." The intercom clicked off again, just as quickly.

"That answers my question." Karst headed towards the door. "Are you coming?"

"I'm coming." Menardi stood and followed after her sister.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **For anyone who's interested, I want to hear their guesses on what the Stages are. No-one seems to fully understand the significance of them or what they really represent, so I want to hear you're ideas if you have any. I won't tell you what it all is until the time is right, but I'm still curious. Anyway... this chapter came out faster than usual, which is good, but I also feel that the later scenes seem a bit rushed. Tell me what you think, hopefully it'll still suffice.


	12. Unlocked

**Author's Notes: **Holidays are good for writing. That's all I really have to say. This is basically an 'evil guy' chapter, so the next chapter will focus mostly on the usual cast. Stay tuned, hopefully this chapter will give you a little more insight to what's going on... of course, I still intend to torture you with cliffhangers.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 10 - Unlocked**

Saturos walked through the streets of Madra with the other six Proxian soldiers temporarily under his command. They all wore casual clothes and concealed their weapons well, be they energy blades or pistols. He felt somewhat out of place amongst the citizens here - Proxians in this part of the world were rare, at best. Nonetheless, the seven continued throughout the streets, not caring about any impression they made. It wasn't their job to fit in and act casual.

No... Saturos smirked. Their job was to perform an act of war.

With the Psynergy implementation proceeding well - all of the soldiers here were among the first few to receive it - Alex had decided that it was finally time to show themselves to the world. Prox had been in the shadows since the last war, well before Saturos' time, but it was time to change that. The world had victimised them, robbed them of everything, and now the tables were about to turn.

Saturos was a warrior, and he lived for battle. Few things made him feel as alive and at home as combat. He was not overly aggressive though, and instead wanted to fight to end the wars that had already begun. To him, the wars had started a century ago and never finished, even if open hostilities had ceased. Prox was simply biding its time, waiting.

Yet... part of him couldn't shake the feeling of disquiet that had settled over his heart as of late. Maybe it was the subtle changes that Psynergy was doing to his temperament... maybe it was his slight distrust of Alex... maybe it was simply a desire for a vacation. Somewhere nice and quiet with Menardi, maybe. His thoughts were straying... Saturos shook his head slightly to focus on the task at hand, but considered organising such a thing upon his return.

After their walk from the airport, the Proxians finally found what they were looking for. It was a little risky, performing this in open daylight, but with any luck their abilities would keep the people away and stop them from acting against them in other ways.

All seven of them approached the Madra Police Department. Saturos held up a hand and waved it forward, and the other six immediately split up. Two remained outside the entrance here, one went to either side of the building to cover the secondary entrances, and the final two formed up behind him. They stood outside the door, counting down patiently. This act was already planned, so they all knew exactly how long it would take. When they all completed the mental countdown, Saturos nodded and they proceeded through the main doors.

The three immediately split up and moved around the entrance room, making the male receptionist raise an eyebrow in surprise. He looked Saturos over, frowning slightly. "Can I help you at all?"

Saturos took a breath. Let the international incidents begin...

He raised a hand, and a serpent-like strand of fire shot from his palm and crossed the distance between them in a blink. The police officer was blasted from his chair, his shirt smoldering slightly but not burning away. Saturos had altered his Psynergy to be impact only - he was becoming very good at manipulating things that way. Calmly, he approached the reception desk, watching as the hurt man moaned slightly and tried to scamper back. Disbelief was written all over his face.

"You have something I want," Saturos said, putting an edge to his voice. "The Madra Police captured a boat with a crate of canisters containing a purple liquid aboard. That is stolen material, and we will have it back. If you fail to tell us where it is..." he left the sentence hanging in the air, his meaning clear.

The man scampered back further along the floor, looking as if he wasn't going to co-operate. Without warning, he stood and made a mad dash towards a nearby alarm switch. In just a second he smashed the glass open and flicked the switch.

Saturos took a moment too long to act, and his second blast of Psynergy struck the man in the back. It wasn't designed for impact either...

The police officer screamed out just as blaring alarms started throughout the building. Windows slammed shut and the doors closed behind them. That wouldn't be too much of a problem - the Proxians could simply blast a hole in the wall with minimal difficulty. However, now everyone knew they were here. Now aflame, the police officer sank to the ground and convulsed for a moment before going still, clothes seared away and flesh marked with severe black and red burns. Saturos had held nothing back.

Now he cursed his own slowness. "Quickly, spread out and search the building. Kill anyone who resists, and interrogate anyone you can. If you find what we're after, contact us with the communicators and then get out. Go now!"

Obeying the command, the Proxian soldiers nodded and headed into station, deactivated energy blades in their hand. The hallway split up into a series of other hallways and smaller rooms, and they continued to split up and search them, taking out any opposition they encountered. Rather than simply checking everywhere, though, Saturos proceeded dead ahead. He had studied the schematics of the building, and he decided to check the Senior Sergeant's office.

No high-ranking person would allow such a valuable - or mysterious - cargo be given to lower ranked members, after all. Another police officer stepped into the passageway and attempted to level a pistol at him. In moments he resembled his compatriate in reception. Saturos advanced, kicking the brutally murdered man aside. He'd find it, and he'd burn the whole blasted building apart to get it.

- - - - -

Garet had excused himself from home once again, at the behest of Hama. He had mentioned that he would stay in touch, but could be gone for quite a while... Hama had said that she had to act against whatever group had been in possession of the Psynergy. It was far too dangerous and unpredictable to be simply ignored, and as one of the few Adepts remaining in the world she felt an obligation to investigate. Feizhi had been asked to accompany her, as had Garet... after hearing her story, they also needed to be kept close.

The Valean had no qualms with that - after hearing the story, he had felt himself quickly getting drawn into the idea. Something was going on if Psynergy was being spread like this, and he wanted to know why. If nothing else, it sounded like fun. Feizhi, of course, had accepted without question. To her it was all part of her training.

So Garet had prepared for a long trip and was now carrying a suitcase through the halls of the police station, towards the Senior Sergeant's office. He knocked on the door, and it was opened almost instantly. Feizhi stood there, gesturing for him to come in. He followed, bringing the suitcase with him and wondering if Feizhi ever slept or went somewhere else... she always seemed to be here. Glowing ominously in the corner of the room was the open crate containing the Jupiter Psynergy.

"Hello Garet," Hama greeted him. She gestured for him to set his suitcase at the side of the room, which he did so. "We won't wait long - there's a car in the garage below us and we'll be getting out of here soon enough. I just thought I'd explain where we're going."

Garet nodded, taking a seat before the desk besides Feizhi. "I was curious, actually... all you said was that we were going somewhere for a fair while. That could mean a lot. For all I know, you wanted to make a suicide mission into Prox."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I want to keep living as much as you do. We're going-"

Hama was cut off as a loud alarm cut through the air. The lights dimmed, and behind the Senior Sergeant, metal protection slammed down in front of the windows. Throughout the building they could hear the same thing going on, along with the sudden sound of activity by the other officers. The Madra police quickly mobilised and moved out through the surrounding corridors, three of them passing the office in quick succession.

Feizhi frowned. "That's not a normal alarm, that's an emergency. What just happened?"

"That's not just any emergency alarm," Hama muttered as she stood up. "Something is going on here in the station. We should investigate..." she hesitated, and looked at them. "On second thought, no. I do have a duty to here, but my duty as an Adept is much more important than that... we have to get the Psynergy out of here." Taking a deep breath, she was about to move when a man's scream was heard. It was followed by two more in quick succession, but then all of them died out abruptly.

Garet felt himself gripped with sudden fear, but then he glanced at Feizhi and saw a worried but controlled expression. Not wanting to appear afraid, he forced himself to calm down. In the meantime, he pulled his pistol out and moved to one side of the room, looking towards the doorway.

Hama and Feizhi moved towards the crate of Psynergy, pulling it out of the corner slightly so that they could lift it. Before they could do so, however, a loud thud was heard outside... as if someone had fallen to the ground. Just a moment later, a man stepped into the doorway. His pale skin and light blue hair immediately revealed him to be a Proxian, which set Garet's teeth at edge. Curiously enough, he held an energy blade, but it was still switched off. He glanced first at Garet, then at Hama.

"Good, you're still here... and you have what I'm looking for." He stepped into the room and lined himself up with Feizhi and Hama, staying on the left side of the room. Garet raised his pistol, but the Proxian didn't react at all. "Step into the other corner and give me the Psynergy, and I'll let you three live."

"I won't do that," Hama said defiantly. She took a martial arts stance, but something was odd about it... it didn't seem like a typical pose to Garet. Nonetheless, the intruder was unimpressed.

"You don't have a choice." The man raised his free hand to the ceiling, and it glowed red for a moment... before a burst of fire shot forth from his arm, striking the ceiling and dissipating instantly. Burnt and shattered chunks of the roof fell around him. "My name is Saturos, and I have orders to retrieve what you stole from us."

Garet gasped, and he absently dropped his pistol out of surprise. It was real... Hama had been right. It looked like another Prox War was brewing... and this time the bad guys had Psynergy.

Feizhi looked as surprised as Garet did, but Hama remained calm. "I won't do it," the Senior Sergeant claimed, unmoving. "I can't let you have it."

"Suit yourself," the man said. He held his hand towards Feizhi, and flames quickly began to build up in it. As he did so, Garet immediately felt strange...

"Don't you dare!" Garet yelled out, thrusting his arms forward. He seemed to glow red for a brief instant, and then... out of his arms shot cones of flame, clearing the distance between himself and the Proxian in a split second.

"What the hell!" Saturos exclaimed, throwing himself to the side. He rolled upon contact with the ground and was in a crouch with his energy blade ready in moments, still leaving it in a deactivated state. Standing up and turning, he stared with confusion and surprise at Garet... an expression that was shared by Garet himself. The youth had absolutely no idea how he'd just done that... and yet now small spheres of flame were slowly circling his arms, waiting for his command. It was unthinkable... did he have that power too? Was he an Adept!

Hama quickly grabbed Feizhi by the shoulders and pulled her behind her desk, which she quickly kicked forward so as to shield them. Paperwork and miscellaneous items fell to the ground and scattered throughout the air. At the same time, Saturos shook away his surprise and raised his hand, launching a tendril of fire from the palm of his hand towards Garet. Acting on instinct, the Valean held his arm up to shield himself, and the circling flame expanded into a burning shield before him. The attack struck the shield and dissipated instantly.

Deciding to try his luck, Garet thrust his other arm forward. The spheres of flame expanded and then launched themselves in rapid succession at Saturos, who mirrored Garet's own shielding gesture. Neither of them showed any sign that they had been hurt.

Then Hama stood up suddenly, gesturing for Feizhi to stay under cover. She held her hands up, letting electrical energy build up in her palms, then lowered her arms and launched bolts of lightning across the room towards Saturos. Still with his shield up, he held it between them again, and the attack dissipated once more. Snarling with anger, the Proxian dropped the shield and launched another tendril amazingly fast at Hama. She raised her hands but wasn't fast enough to stop the attack entirely - her unformed shield slowed the strike, but the impact launched her backwards several feet. Apparently she wasn't prepared for fighting this kind of Psynergy.

Garet moved forward, preparing more fire attacks, but his opponent held up a hand.

"Hold it!" he said calmly, keeping the anger on his face from affecting his voice. "I'm clearly better at this than you, and there are six other Proxians in this building. Cease this right now and give me the Psynergy, and we'll let you all live."

Hama hissed and shook her head. "I cannot in good conscience let you have it. If there are more of you, that's too bad, but I can't give you the resources to make even more."

"Then you," Saturos said, turning to Garet. "I'll spare you if you stop fighting and let me have it."

Garet hesitated. He didn't want to give it up, but he had no real idea how to fight with these newfound abilities - he had been relying on sheer luck thus far. Hama knew what she was doing, surely, but she couldn't fight six of them. And there was still no guarantee that they wouldn't be killed regardless. No matter how he looked at it, they would get the Psynergy.

Unless...

"No, I don't think I will." For one brief moment, Garet turned towards the corner of the room where the crate remained, completely unaware of the battle that was taking part to attain it elsewhere in the police station. He raised his hands towards it and willed his powers to come forward.

And they did. A burst of flame shot from each of his arms again, joining in the middle to form one large attack, which collided with the crate. Almost instantly it caught fire, and the intense heat was apparently not good for the Psynergy... the canisters bubbled, and then they all exploded outright. Purple slime flew outward, scattering itself along the ground nearby and burning away like oil.

With the Psynergy came glass. A large chunk, easily half of a canister, flew through the air towards where Feizhi was hiding... still coated with Jupiter Psynergy, the glass flew through the air and struck Feizhi in the forehead. She cried out in pain, bringing her hands to her forehead, where a large cut had been left. Psynergy that had covered the side of the canister seeped between her fingers.

"NO!" Saturos yelled out, extending a hand towards the broken crate. In that moment he left himself open, Hama struck. She thrust her hands towards him, still on the floor. Energy circled her arms for a moment, then suddenly a massive gust of wind rose up and struck Saturos, blasting him from his feet. He struck the wall and bounced off, lying there motionless.

"Let's get out of here now!" Hama yelled, quickly moving to Feizhi and helping her up. Garet dropped his arms, almost disbelieving what had just happened, but then he came to his senses and helped his superior. They quickly grabbed their bags that were mostly undamaged from the combat and quickly departed, leaving behind the unconscious Proxians and the shattered Psynergy.

Behind them, the paperwork that had been strewn around sparked and caught flame...

- - - - -

Alex stood at the bow of the metal ship, looking out over the water. He had done this countless times before during his time with the Lemurian Navy, and it had always helped him think. It cleared his head and gave him some clarity when things were confusing or uncertain. Now was not one of those times... now he just needed a moment of peace.

Stage One had been completed at last, with Psynergy-imbued people scattered across Weyard. Most of them didn't realise what their part was in this grand plan - most of them didn't even know they had had been selected. All for the sake of accomplishing their aims, and they hadn't come to any harm. Stage Two was nearing completion - nearly the entirety of the Proxian military and higher officials had been granted Mars Psynergy. When the time came to spread their influence further, he would have proper sources for all the other elements, and then they would be truly ready.

Now he was en route to begin the real work. Stage Three had been started secretly some time ago, even before he'd openly left Lemuria. Four spots around the world had been selected, each directly above a Psynergy producing place, and his weapons were quickly being constructed. Soon... very soon. The first to be commissioned was now complete, and so Alex was heading there, along with Menardi and Karst. They needed to see it.

Immediately after summoning the sisters, they had taken a private plane straight to Contigo, the largest city in Atteka. From there they had driven to the nearby coastline and had taken a Proxian boat towards the structure, this one nicknamed Jupiter Lighthouse. Located in a mountain valley to the north of the continent, it was out of the way of most Attekan settlements and traffic, so few knew about it.

In the distance, the mountains were rapidly approaching. Alex still couldn't see the tower, but that was of no surprise - even with the distance from the Attekan cities, it was still well concealed. No chances were to be taken. Few could do anything about the Lighthouse save by a direct and heavy attack, but Psynergy-augmented soldiers stationed there as well as a number of regular Proxian soldiers... well, it was well and truly in safe hands.

A hidden inlet led into a canal that had been dug there, heading towards the Proxian dock. The boat veered towards it, making sure that no-one else was around. Alex scanned the area himself, nodding. All clear for their approach.

Prior to joining Prox and preparing them for their rise to power, he had worked for the Lemurian Navy. He didn't command boats of war - his ship had served as a troop carrier and as a coast guard operation. While Lemuria itself was not very large, King Hydros was the leader of most of the major islands and settlements in the entire Great Eastern Ocean. Excluding a few indepent states, such as Izumo, that still made it the largest territory in all of Weyard. And with much of it water, the Navy had much importance.

He had always prided himself on that position. He was still fairly young, yet he had risen to a position of command very early. He liked his work, and his position, and his life. But eventually he had discovered something... a group pirate using a small, uncharted island as a base. They had raided a nearby settlement and stolen much, so a punitive raid had been organised. Two ships - a military cruiser and his own transport - had been dispatched to deal with them. Hydros would not have this kind of terrorism continuing in his waters.

But... they had arrived unimpeded. No shots were fired as they approached and destroyed the pirate ship. Troops had landed and found no-one there, no-one shooting. As they entered the base, Alex had gone with them to learn why. And when they went inside... all they found was water. Lots and lots of water. Most of the base was flooded, and no trace of humans were found. They had been there, certainly - old meals were still there, half-eaten, and beds showed signs of very recent use.

Confused, the troops inspected the entirety of the base, and did a thorough scanning of the structure to check for any hidden passages or areas. Nothing. As they had prepared to leave and bombard the remainder of the island to make sure it couldn't be used again, Alex told them to let him stay and search a while longer. He returned to what had been identified as the captain's chambers. And there he had found a book... a journal. It ended only a day before the Lemurian arrival, and told of something happening in a newly discovered room below the facility.

Once they had found it, everything was as normal. But then the men began to develop strange powers. The water began to move at their command, began to freeze over, could start taking shape... it happened to all of them. At first they were afraid, but then they thought it would benefit them. It seemed to make them stronger, too. So they flaunted their abilities, and then... one of them had gone insane. Without warning, he had begun screaming loudly, and then his abilities had been unleashed in their full. He covered people in water, froze it, and shattered it, injuring and killing them all very quickly. Then he melted them so that there was nothing left... but water.

With a sickening realisation, Alex understood just why the place was flooded.

The captain had fled here and written it down, saying that he would confront the man with the last few survivors and bring him down. From the lack of people here, apparently he had failed... and then the other man must have turned on himself. Or somehow fled. Nonetheless, Alex was stricken... but he wondered about what had caused this. So he followed what was in the journal and discovered a room that the soldiers had somehow missed. Within was a pool of a strange liquid that glowed blue... and the body of a man within it, facedown and dead.

He had discovered the insane pirate.

Alex had fled and returned to the ship, saying to everyone else that he had found nothing of his hunches. And then they had blasted the island apart. To Alex's surprise, he had felt... sorrow when it happened.

Afterwards, he had returned to Lemuria and done something that amazed everyone. He resigned his comission as a captain for the Navy, and then began studying. For a few years, he worked on ships still, accompanying voyages of exploration and history. He had feigned disinterest, but really he wanted to discover just what the pirates had discovered. No-one had heard of anything like that. During his studies in his free time, he pored over the very rare tomes that he could acquire detailing past history of Weyard. Psynergy. The great war. Past nations and their abilities. And the demise of the powers... even reports that the war had ended but Psynergy had been mostly destroyed anyway, to stop it from misuse. The ancients sealed themselves from the world to save it.

After a time he returned to the ruined island again. It was mostly gone, but he had penetrated the surface and found his way into that cavern again. A hidden pool of Psynergy, one of the few remaining in the whole world. If this existed... then others surely did. When he left, he knew that he could find it again, and restore it to the world. On his return to Lemuria, though, he had considered this... if it was restored, then surely history would repeat itself. War would return again as humans battled for supremacy with their powers. It was already happening in this day and age... the last Proxian War had shown that.

He pondered this. Even upon his return, he had no idea what to do. But he didn't stop pursuing knowledge about and actual sources of Psynergy... his curiosity was too deeply embedded. Now, a couple of years later, his research was paying off. However, something had gripped him the day he found that dead pirate. Now he was almost driven to do this. Humans were corruptible, but Psynergy was pure. The world had slowly been declining without Psynergy, and if it wasn't restored somewhat soon, then Weyard could very well fade away.

Besides... he had always felt the punishment to Prox far too much. They had been a world power, and now they were nothing but a fringe city at the edge of the world. They deserved at least SOME recognition. Alex had his own plans, too... he would be the saviour of Psynergy. He would restore it to the world and trigger a golden age. The mistakes of the past wouldn't be repeated. He already had Psynergy coursing through him, and he could see the uses it would have.

Humans were corruptible. Psynergy was pure.

"Captain!" a Proxian naval officer called. That brought a slight smile to Alex's lips... from one Navy to another. "We'll be docking in just a minute or two, so you'd best prepare to take the Adepts ashore.

Alex nodded. "Thank you, I'll attend to that presently." He looked over the handrail, noting now that the tip of the Lighthouse could be seen. A large chamber atop a steel tower, illuminating the nearby metal with a faint purple light. Beautiful. The next step in Proxian supremacy - combining the elements of Stage One with the culmination of Stages Three and Four.

The Lemurian stepped away from the side of the ship and returned to his cabin. He keyed in a sequence of buttons on the electronic safe set into the wall, before pressing his hand on the plate. The lock clicked open, and he opened it up to retrieve the bag there. A quick inspection revealed that all four items were still in place, so he sealed the bag once more and headed into the other passenger cabins.

Knocking on the doors was unnecessary - Menardi and Karst were already waiting outside, looking curious but casual. He nodded to them and proceeded towards the exit, and they fell in step behind him. Nothing was said between them - they both knew that they were there to observe, not take part. It was good enough that they had been invited to join Alex.

They disembarked from the ship onto the very new dock, noting the number of Proxians standing on guard. Two of them gestured towards an armoured car, and they all stepped into the passenger compartment. Another soldier was already inside, and he closed the doors and began driving down a dirt path as soon as they were secured.

"You have yet to see a Lighthouse," Alex said to Menardi and Karst. "That's not surprising, since only one other exists at this point. That's where Agatio is currently assigned to."

"What of Saturos?" Menardi asked casually, and Karst immediately covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile.

"He's in Madra, performing a task for me. With any luck, we'll hear of his success in the next couple of days. Even if he fails, though, I'm sure he'll survive, and his mission isn't CRUCIAL. Extremely useful, yes, but we can adjust if things don't work perfectly. Regardless, I digress... this is Jupiter Lighthouse. Mercury Lighthouse has been mostly completed in a place not far from our Imil installation. Two more will be constructed - one close to Prox, and the other somewhere more central to our plans. They'll trigger what will become the next Proxian War... and then you and the other Adepts will move in and end it."

"I'd ask more questions, but I know you're a sucker for secrecy," Karst said idly. "So I won't bother."

"You're right. Now is not the time. The less people know for now, the better it is. Too much information is already being leaked as it is. Not that I don't trust you, of course, but precautions are precautions." He shrugged, then looked out the front windshield. The Lighthouse was looming very close before them. It wasn't as tall as one would expect, but then again, it didn't need to be. Just enough to channel the energy that was being manipulated.

The driver pulled up to the entrance, a large arched doorway of plain metal. Alex quickly stepped out and helped the ladies out before continuing to the structure. They followed closely, taking in much of the details around them.

As they stepped through the doorway, the first thing that struck them was the barren emptiness of this hallway. Only one thing really struck their attention - that was the obelisk-shaped pillar that stood at the far end of the room. It glowed a deep purple and coated the entire room with light, and apparently reached all the way up the shaft of the lighthouse. Menardi followed the light upwards, seeing that this room led directly to the roof, despite being laced frequently by support beams.

"Soldier's quarters and other important rooms are built around this one," Alex said calmly as he walked to the lift, towards an elevator there. "There are a large number of soldiers on station here, with enough facilities and supplies to hold this place for years against any conventional attack. Nothing short of a heavy bombing run could bring this place down, and even that would be a challenge... especially considering how many air-defence turrets the Proxian government has granted these installations."

He called an elevator and they stepped in, noting that there were about twenty different floors.

"If it does get attacked," Alex continued, "the elevators can be shut down and the attackers will be forced to proceed up twenty relatively narrow stairways. Each floor has a landing that can be easily defended, and there are countermeasures all over the place to ensure that nothing can get in. This place is a fortress, and could be safely held for a number of years."

Karst nodded, and Menardi listened intently. It had always been a hobby of hers to read up on tactics.

They ascended the Lighthouse through the elevator, heading all the way to the top floor. It was marked simply as the Eyrie. It didn't take them long, and the two women found themselves filled with anticipation. What was the secret behind these Lighthouses?"

When they reached the top and the door opened, the three stepped through as one. Neither Karst nor Menardi found the place to match their mental image.

"What is this for?" Menardi asked, looking around curiously. She had expected something a little more advanced here at the Eyrie - instead, the central room was practically empty. It was open-aired, but walls ran around the edges to keep the wind from knocking anyone off. In the centre of the room was a machine suspended over a pit, leading all the way to the obelisk she had seen at the very bottom.

Alex smiled and approached the machine, setting his bag on the ground before them. "You two are here because, along with Saturos and Agatio, you four are still the ones that I trust the most with this. You are the strongest and best-prepared for using Psynergy, and so you are the ones who I will disclose information regarding Project Psynergy to. From this room - and three other rooms in various parts of the world - Prox will assert its dominion over the rest of Weyard, proving once and for all that you are the rightful world leaders."

Karst looked impressed as she eyed the machine. "So what is this supposed to be?"

"Several millenia ago, there existed a number of large empires. Each of them fought the others for dominance, and each of them controlled a certain type of Psynergy. Because no single elemental faction could oust the other, they sought to simply destroy the source of their opponent's abilities. They did that, removing much of the Psynergy from the world, and this stopped it from naturally occurring in all but a few places. This is one of those places... a place where we can't extract the Psynergy for implementation, but we CAN harness its powers."

"How do you know all this?" Menardi asked, looking at Alex. She knew of no ancient war, no details regarding frequent Psynergy use by ancient races... how had he stumbled upon it all?

Alex didn't respond to her question. Instead he opened his bag revealing a box that had been painted black. He pulled it free and opened that too, revealing four orbs that were each about the size of his fist. They were nestled in cushions carefully, and each glowed brighty with inner light. The colours represented each element of Psynergy, Menardi guessed - Red, Blue, Yellow and Purple.

"What on Weyard are those?" Karst asked, peering at the four glowing spheres.

"These are what the ancient Tundarians - now the Lemurians - intended to use to win the ancient war. They called them the Elemental Stars." Alex smiled. "And they are the keys to Stage Three and Four..."

- - - - -

Madra Police Station was now in flames. Fire engines were parked outside and countless firefighters worked hard to suppress the spread. Few were sure how it had started, and even less knew why no-one was leaving the building. Much of the building had started to collapse quickly, which was extremely odd considering that it was mostly stone and concrete... a group of fire crews prepared to head into the heart of the building in a desperate attempt to find survivors.

As they geared up and headed towards the main doors, someone cried out amidst the onlookers. All heads turned as a single person stepped forward out of the building, eyes downcast and energy blade clutched in his hand. Miraculously, much of his clothing and body was untouched by flames of any sort, save a nasty looking cut on the side of his head. People began murmuring, and the firefighters approached him.

He had failed. Everything had gone amiss. The two Adepts had escaped, the Psynergy had been annhilated, and the other Proxians had continued the fight with desperate policemen into the basement. When the fire had spread, the fuel from the remaining cars in the garage had triggered a huge explosion, causing most of the basement to cave in. Saturos was the only survivor, simply because he had not been down there. Alex would not be pleased at the losses.

And it made him so ANGRY... such an utter failure... a huge waste... his blood was boiling with uncontrolled ferocity, emotions that Saturos had never felt like this before. He couldn't control it... nor did he WANT to. His shoulders shuddered, and he could feel himself shaking from it all. He needed revenge. He needed to sate his anger. This crowd would be perfect.

"ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD!" he screamed, activating his slightly damaged energy blade. In seconds he had cut down the firefighters that were nearing him. He raised his free hand as parts of the crowd began to run away in a panic. Energy flitted around his body before flying outward, surrounding the entire area with flames. He pointed his index finger at the crowd, and from it shot a massive fireball. It landed amongst the crowd, incinerating those it touched. Blood, flames, screams, rage... all of it melded into one within Saturos' mind. In a frenzy, he continued the slaughter...

Minutes later there was nothing remaining but ash. Panting heavily from his exertions, Saturos launched his energy blade into a nearby building with a roar before sprinting towards the planned evacuation zone.

- - - - -

**Author's Note: **I'm sure you'd love some explanations, but I'm not giving them. Cliffhangers must remain cliffhangers for now, that's what makes it suspenseful. Hope you enjoyed it.


	13. Influence

**Author's Notes: **Oh wow, it really has been too long since I updated. Worse still, I don't even have enough material to give you a full chapter even after all this time. You have my truly heartfelt apologies, but the more I try to write, the less I actually accomplish. Project Psynergy isn't dead, though, no matter how many delays. Mark my words, I will see it through to the end one of these days. For now, here's a sub-chapter to create even more questions for you to ponder.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 10x - Influence**

Agatio watched the security cameras calmly, peering from his relative safety at the implementation chamber elsewhere in the Imil facility. He had seen this process being performed before - he'd a similar one happen to him - but still, he was incredibly uneasy. It wasn't because of the age of this kid... it wasn't because he'd broken into the facility and his two colleagues had escaped... there was no justifiable reason for feeling this way. Yet he insisted on watching from the security room, keeping a close eye on the kid.

Another Stage One test. It had already been completed worldwide, and had been in effect for months and months, yet it was imperative that this kid was given the bacteria. Someone of his capabilities would make a very useful puppet come Stage Three, and the side effects - potential memory loss in particular - would help to ensure that he would remain silent about what he had seen.

Agatio shivered. Why was he so nervous about this?

One of the Proxian scientists opened a metal crate in one corner of the chamber, removing a glowing purple cannister from it. Jupiter Psynergy, the rarest and least used strand in this program. It was so rare that only trace amounts had been found in Atteka, where it was supposed to have been the strongest. Still, a new source had recently been found in the Osenia deserts, and despite the difficulty of harvesting it from there, it promised to be a good supply. It may not be so rare in the near future.

Watching intently as the scientists opened the cannister and poured the contents into a few syringes, Agatio glanced at the various security readings. "How is everything down there?" he asked.

"Still normal, no irregularities detected." The guard shrugged, clearly a little annoyed at the frequent questions from his superior.

"Alright." Agatio frowned, unable to shake his uneasiness. He was feeling a little angry for no reason... a trait that had become apparent in most of the Proxians that had been implemented. Alex had said it was a slight side effect of the Mars Psynergy strand, and how it bonded primarily to the adrenalin producing glands in the brain. They just had to keep as calm as they could.

Once the cannister was empty and five of the syringes had been filled, the second scientist took the first, inspected it carefully, then rubbed an antiseptic swab over the young man's arm before injecting it. At the same time, the other scientist repeated the procedure on the other arm, making their captive twitch ever so slightly despite being unconscious.

A beeping alarm sounded from a nearby monitor. Agatio and the security officers turned to it suddenly. "What is that?"

Frowning, the Proxian guard read the monitor. "There's an increased amount of electromagnetic radiation in the implementation chamber..."

Agatio's fear suddenly worsened. "That's never happened before, even with the other Jupiter implementations... I don't like this. Open up the communications channel with them and halt the process... this isn't right."

The man nodded and tapped a few keys on his console, reaching for his microphone. Before he could say anything, however, the monitors flickered and died, along with all the electronics in the room. The three were suddenly blanketed in darkness... and then the sprinkler system activated, dousing them all in cold water.

"Ack!" Agatio covered his head instinctively. "What the hell just happened?!"

"We lost power. I'll call the generators." The second security officer - as far as Agatio could see in this light - reached for his belt and pulled out a radio device. The moment he switched it on, however, it only let it large amounts of static.

"This is very, very bad!" Agatio yelled, turning and sprinting out of the security room and towards the implementation chamber as fast as he could go.

- - - - -

Ivan slowly stood up from the operating table, groaning slightly. His head was on fire, and he was incredibly groggy. In fact, his entire body felt odd for reasons which he couldn't explain. Desperately he tried to clear his head and recall what had happened.

He'd gone with Isaac and Jenna to the Proxian installation... they'd got what they needed and escaped after a firefight, only Ivan had been trapped and remained behind... then he'd been knocked out by a Psynergy user. That's right... but what had happened since then?

Groaning a little from the pain in his head, Ivan looked around... and gasped. On the ground around him were two Proxians... parts of their clothing and skin had been burnt and blackened, and they seemed to twitch involuntarily every few moments. They were still breathing faintly, yet they were not in good shape at all. What had done this to them?

A zapping sound made Ivan turn around. The source was a broken computer monitor, which looked to have just exploded... some of the wires still seemed to be active, spitting the occasional spark. Whatever had done this hadn't stopped at the Proxians. He wondered what had gone on... then his eyes fell upon a small table. A number of syringes were sitting there... two empty, but three filled with a glowing purple liquid. The empty ones still showed signs that they had been filled moments ago, however...

Ivan's breathing suddenly went raspy as everything whirred into place in his mind. "Psynergy... they... I..." He raised his hands and looked at them for a moment, quivering. Had they... augmented him? Had he done this?

The door before him opened suddenly, and Ivan turned to it. A Proxian stood there with spiky blue hair... he realised that it was the same Psynergy user that had knocked him out last time. The man looked both worried and angry, and he stared coldly at Ivan.

"You brat... I was stupid to think of recycling you, now look what you've done..." He looked around the room, growling slightly. "The dose must have been too strong... you somehow used your Psynergy. You're of no use to us in this state..."

Ivan considered asking a question, but he doubted that this man would answer him. He couldn't run with the big guy blocking the only door out of here... he was trapped again.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Closing his eyes, Ivan tried to clear his throbbing head and focus. Something seemed to be different in his mind... something tangible was resting there, and it almost felt within his grasp. Remaining calm, he reached forward and touched it...

Immediately, lightning bolts began darting across his body, and Ivan shuddered. Then he realised that they weren't doing anything to harm him... they were just there. With a flick of his finger, a small arc of lightning shot forward and clipped the wall beside the man.

"Oh hell no!" The Proxian said, raising his now fire-laced hand. Knowing what was about to happen, Ivan desperately threw his hands forward, and the massed amounts of electrical energy shot through the air, striking the man in the chest and running up his whole body. The force of the strike threw him through the air, out the doorway, and into the opposite corridor wall. He slumped to the ground, unconscious and still twitching slightly.

Panting heavily, Ivan stood up... and then smiled. "Prox just made a huge mistake," he said calmly to the prone man. "Now I'm even better suited for stopping you..."

With that, he turned and sprinted through the corridors, looking for a dock.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Next chapter will happen sooner or later, and finally go back and cover what happened to Sheba. So for all you fans out there, stay tuned. I'll try very hard not to keep you waiting.


	14. Fracture

**Author's Notes: **And we're back. That's the third consecutive year that I've tried NaNoWriMo, and I was doing well until I had a psychotic breakdown that lasted about a week. So yeah, that's no good. I'll write that story in my own time now since I have no desire to give up, but that's an original and not what you're here to read. You're here to read an AU about Prox taking over the world through Psynergy augmentation. Right? Right. Moving on.

As well as this update, I also ended up digging around my computer and finding not one, not two, not even three... but FIVE one-shots, and a couple of other incomplete ones that I wrote a long time ago. Some were for Golden Sun and others for Tales of Symphonia, and I've already uploaded two of them for Golden Sun. If you're interested, please take a look at them. I'd really appreciate some feedback. For now though, enjoy this story.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 11 - Fracture**

Garet wasn't much of a healer, but then again, there wasn't that much to do while they were driving. He might as well make him useful and help Feizhi patch up her head wound. Gently, he dabbed a damp cloth over the long cut on her forehead to clean it out before wrapping a bandage around her forehead. The cut was deep and there was a chance that shards of glass remained embedded, but this was the best he could do for her now.

"Thanks," Feizhi murmured quietly, leaning back and closing her eyes. Nodding silently, he sat back in his own seat. Her movements seemed a little groggy, and it made Garet a little worried. The cut was a fairly deep cut, and the bandage would only serve as a temporary measure… Feizhi would likely need stitches.

That was a little difficult where they were, however. After the fiasco at the police station, they had quickly escaped in the car that Hama had prepared earlier. It had been a priority to leave Madra as quickly as possible, and while there was a first aid kit on hand, Garet wasn't really qualified to put stitches in for her. For now, this was all he can do.

"How are you holding up?" Hama asked over her shoulder. She was in the front seat of the car, driving down the highway towards the nearest settlement.

"I feel a little weird," Feizhi admitted quietly, glancing at Garet for a moment before closing her eyes again. "I have a headache, and it's not just the cut."

"I see. Garet, there should be some painkillers in the first aid kit."

"Already on it," he replied, removing the pills and handing them to Feizhi. She quickly swallowed one and handed them back. He hadn't said much during their flight… the events had all come at him too rapidly for him to settle down and think them through. He had been a security guard and then a police officer… he hadn't expected to be dealing with anything relating to magical powers or super bacteria or whatever the heck was behind this.

"Garet…" Hama sounded a little hesitant.

"…I'm an Adept," he responded calmly, as if suddenly coming to terms with it all.

"Did you know that you were?"

Garet shook his head. "I didn't have a clue… but after hearing your story and then seeing what I did, I thought it was fairly obvious."

Hama nodded, though her attention remained on the road ahead. Getting out of Madra had been their first priority, and now they were just driving until they found the next good-sized settlement where Feizhi could be treated. Afterwards, they'd go to Daila and plan their next move.

"There aren't any Jupiter Adepts left besides me and…" she paused mid-sentence, then shook her head. "There aren't any besides me. I was taught all about my heritage by my father, and he explained that it had been passed down since the ancient times. He said that there were others like my family that did that for the other kinds of Psynergy, but he didn't know who they were."

"If that's what you're implying about me," Garet interrupted, "then my family has never mentioned anything like this before. My parents have never done anything special like breathe fire or crazy things like... what I did. Neither have my older sister or little brother. So I don't think it'd be like that."

"Be that as it may," Hama continued, "there is a chance that you belong to one of those bloodlines, even if you didn't progress as my family did. Tell me Garet... you weren't born in Madra. Where are you from?"

Garet gasped suddenly, sitting up straight. "No way…"

Hama glanced over her shoulder for a moment while Feizhi opened her eyes and looked at him. "What is it?" they said in unison.

"I'm… I'm from a town called Vale, in West Angara. It's a little secluded and out of the way, and not much goes on in the way of interaction between other towns." He paused. "However, Vale was well known for its mythology… there was always mention of how the nearby volcano, Mount Aleph, was a holy place. From within its depths come the forces that allowed Weyard to exist as it has for so long… supposedly, anyway."

Hama grinned. "That's how I've heard Alchemy described in many places. This might just be what we need… Vale sounds like it has a lot of relevance to Psynergy."

"Maybe our next stop should be there, then," Feizhi commented.

"It's not that simple, though…" Garet took a deep breath before continuing, looking somber. "The reason my family lives in Madra now is because Vale was destroyed a few years ago in a volcanic eruption. The very mountain that they revered in mythology was what finished its history in the end… it was only a fairly small town, and many people chose simply to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Now we're all scattered."

Hama visibly sank in her chair. Apparently she'd been eager to find an answer to the questions too. Oddly enough, Feizhi was looking at Garet with curiosity… almost concern.

"Did you lose any friends when that happened?" she asked him, drawing her legs against her chest as if for comfort from her headache.

"Not really." Garet shrugged. "As far as I know, nobody was killed when the volcano erupted. There was a lot of warning… on top of the volcano, blocking it off, was this really big boulder. It had some kind of relevance, I don't know… but anyway, when it began to shift, people noticed. That gave us enough warning to figure out that the volcano was going to erupt soon enough, and everyone got away."

"I meant to say when you all got scattered," Feizhi added.

"Oh… I suppose so." Garet sighed. "I had a few good friends when I was growing up. There was a little group of us... a boy and a girl my age, as well as the girl's older brother. Unfortunately, we went our separate ways, and I haven't really heard from them since. I'd like to find them one day, though."

"I see…" Without warning, Feizhi leant over and embraced Garet gently before sitting back down. It happened so quickly that the young man barely had any clue what had just happened.

"H-hey, what was that for?" Garet asked, blinking in surprise.

"I don't know." Feizhi shrugged, closing her eyes again. "I just felt like comforting you… I know what it's like to lose friends that way, that's all."

"Oh." Garet shook his head and sat back as well, realizing that he'd lost track of his thoughts already. That was so unexpected.

"…are you blushing?"

"N-no!" Unfortunately for Garet, he could feel his face burning the moment that left his lips.

"Because that's really cute, you know." Feizhi grinned playfully, looking over at him again.

"Okay, now I know that the medicine is getting to you." He sighed, but smiled a little. "You should rest, it might help your head."

Nodding, Feizhi closed her eyes yet again. Hama was chuckling silently to herself in the front seat. In situations like these, it was always good for people to have friends on hand. She'd been prepared for this since her youth, but these kids had come into this with only marginal preparation. It would be good if they could keep one another company.

"Nonetheless, Daila is our first goal. That has a good-sized airport nearby, so it can take us to wherever we may decide to go." Hama nodded as if confirming this to herself.

"Wake me when we get there," Garet said with a smile, closing his eyes as well.

- - - - -

"Why am I afraid of this place so suddenly?" Isaac muttered as he and Jenna approached the Elementalist hideout.

"Because of what we decided," Jenna replied matter-of-factly, "and because they're most likely not going to be happy about it."

"Ah. So we're still walking into our deaths?"

"Most likely."

"You're still coming with me, right?"

"Well, I was planning to go and hide out by the dumpster, but I might as well be nice." Jenna grinned, and Isaac smirked back.

It had been some time since their escape from the Proxian installation, and they had at last arrived back at Alhafra. During their return trip they had spent some time poring over the data they had collected, learning little but still picking out bits and pieces. However, during a slightly more casual talk of theirs, they had come to a concensus… now they were about to do something that the Elementalists would not approve of at all.

But during those conversations, Isaac and Jenna had become fairly close friends, and so they weren't too concerned as long as they could stick together for the duration of their objectives.

"Let's see how this goes then," Isaac said with a deep breath, taking his energy blade out in preparation for turning it over to the doorman.

In a few moments they were ushered into the building, disarmed, and immediately pointed in Kraden's direction. Isaac and Jenna moved quickly through the halls, suddenly not wanting to be here any longer than they had to. Their attitudes had changed considerably since they had left here, it seemed.

It didn't take long before they found themselves outside a room marked as the library. From within, they could hear Kraden's voice talking to someone, but there were pauses in between – it was likely that he was on the phone.

"Kraden?" Jenna called, knocking on the door.

"Just one moment," he responded, and continued speaking for a few seconds. Once that ended, the door opened, revealing the old man standing there with a hopeful expression. "Oh, it's you two! Good to have you back, very good… please, come in."

The door opened wider and he gestured for Isaac and Jenna to come in. Though this room was marked as the library, it was definitely a modern one – very few bookshelves lined the room, and instead a centre row of tables was dominated by a few computer terminals with far more digitized information inside them than a million books could hope to catalogue.

Kraden brushed past them and sat at a table on one side of the room, gesturing at the empty seats on the other side. "You've been gone quite some time. That's to be expected given the distance you had to travel, but still, we were anxious for your return." His expression was one of concern, however. "Ivan is not with you, however… where is he?"

Isaac hesitated, but Jenna spoke immediately. "He got trapped behind in order to buy us some time to get away with all the information. We don't know what's happened to him."

The concern only deepened on Kraden's face. "Are you serious? That's grave news indeed… Ivan was one of the best men we had. So much more capable than many operatives twice his age…"

"Important enough to warrant retrieval?" Isaac asked calmly, studying Kraden's face intently. The old man's expression went from concerned to dark.

"Excuse me? What makes you think you can-"

"The fact that you were quite happy to leave the installation standing so that the experiments could continue is one clue," Jenna interrupted.

Kraden narrowed his eyes, but he didn't refute the claim. "Are you implying something? I have been nothing but loyal to this group since its inception, and I am one of the main people responsible for ensuring that it has gotten this far. Don't you dare impugn my honour…"

"Then do something honourable and have the facility destroyed. Burn it to the ground, make sure that no-one has to be subjected to that kind of experimentation against their will." Jenna's voice was calm and steady as if she'd practiced this speech beforehand. "And if you can't do that, then give us a reason why not."

There was silence. Isaac's gaze drifted between the two of them, but neither faltered. A few moments later, however, Kraden slumped down in defeat.

"What is it you are trying to do, you two? Why must you make this difficult?"

"We came here to stop Prox," Jenna replied with a shrug. "That's what we aim to do, and the Elementalists aren't doing it for us. If they can't then we will."

Kraden sighed. "I will give you your answers then, if that is the case… however, that will get you truly involved in this situation, far more than you may have expected to be going on. And you won't be able to get out of it. If you truly are in this to stop Prox then that's what has to be done."

"I'm game," Jenna replied with a smirk.

"Me too," Isaac added.

"Fine." Kraden reached down for a moment, before placing his hands back on top of the table. Isaac was instantly on alert, but the old man shook his head. "I've merely silenced this room. No guards are coming." He took a deep breath. "Did you find anything of interest in the installation?"

Jenna reached into her bag and retrieved her laptop, switching it on and setting it on the table. With a few practiced motions, she opened the files they had uncovered and displayed them to Kraden. "The big haul was this schematic of something called the Mercury Lighthouse. We assume that's very important. The information regarding that image is, unfortunately, encrypted far beyond our abilities to crack."

Kraden looked over the image, pursing his lips as he did so before nodding. "Alright. I'll get that information shortly and pass it on to someone who can decipher it."

"And you'll start filling in the blanks for us," Isaac said with a small smile.

"Yes I will." The old man eyed them both again. "Firstly, congratulations. You are now the two newest agents serving the government of Lemuria and King Hydros himself."

Both Isaac and Jenna blinked in unison.

"I'm positive I didn't hear that one right," Isaac muttered.

"You did." Kraden folded his arms before him. "I have been working in Lemuria for some time in many different capacities. When my compatriot was abducted by Proxians during the early stages of Project Psynergy, I volunteered my services and was sent here to Alhafra. It was my mission to connect with the underground of the city and get the best hackers available to act as an information source for Lemuria. Thus, I helped form the Elementalists."

"So… everything that this group has been collecting has been forwarded onto Lemuria," Jenna determined.

"Is that why you refused to give us the permission to destroy that place?" Isaac asked.

"Yes. You were simply an information source to extract what we could without making our presence known. When the time comes – very shortly, in fact – we'll be assaulting the base at Imil. That was not the job of a small group of hackers, it's something that only professionals should be handling."

"I suppose so…" Jenna admitted with some reluctance.

"Since now you know that the Elementalists are merely a front for Lemurian Intelligence," Kraden continued, "I have no choice but to mark you as temporary recruits in its employ. Once Project Psynergy has been adequately dealt with, you will be released from service, though if your performance is exemplary then you could very well find a career there. For now, however, your missions will be a little tougher. But you'll be properly dealing with the Proxian threat and working to end this all." He paused. "Are you satisfied with this?"

Isaac and Jenna exchanged glances, and then looked back at Kraden.

"I guess this is what I joined the Elementalists to do." Isaac shrugged.

"If this lets me stop them from doing things to people, then so be it." Jenna smiled. "You can count on me."

"Good. However…" Kraden leaned in forward. "Let it be known that if you take this too lightly and assume that you can simply walk away from this… you'll find yourself becoming an enemy of the state of Lemuria. Deserters in this kind of business are not taken too lightly. Keep that in mind."

Both nodded.

"Good. That settled… you have a new task." Kraden sat back in his chair. "Another Lemurian agent is en route to Alhafra. When he arrives, you will join him along with another person here in the Elementalists. He'll be here in a couple of days, so be prepared. I'll call you when you're needed. Until then, remain in this hideout. I'll see to it that quarters are arranged for you."

Again, they both nodded.

"You may go, then." Kraden smiled. "In the name of King Hydros and Lemuria."

- - - - -

Why in Weyard did his head hurt so much? Saturos winced and rubbed his temples forcefully, but made sure not to let his hood fall down and expose his features. He was in so much trouble now... the survivors of the Madran police force, along with the national security forces, had found his escape route before he'd gotten to safety. Desperation had kicked in, now that Madra was declaring a state of panic and cracking down after the unsuspecting terrorist attack from Prox. Tensions were high, and Prox was refusing to issue a statement on what had happened, denying any official involvement with the whole affair.

That left Saturos alone and outgunned... which was why he had fled the scene as quickly as he could. The Psynergy hadn't been recovered – had been destroyed, in the fact -, the mysterious Adepts that he'd found had gotten away, and Prox had decided to cut their losses by abandoning him and any other potential survivors by declaring no statement and refusing to send him aid. He didn't stand much of a chance.

Saturos darted through the back alleys of Madra now, flinching whenever he heard a police siren or any kind of group that could be searching for him. His memory was fuzzy, especially given his aching head, yet he recalled that he'd somehow lost control and had gone berserk… in that crazed fit of rage he had unleashed his Psynergy upon the crowd and slaughtered them all. And as a trained and conditioned warrior, he should never have allowed such a lapse in discipline… now countless innocents were dead. It was a precursor to a war that was coming, certainly, but still unnecessary deaths. Could the rage and aggression be a possible side effect?

He wasn't going to be able to escape too easily. His best bet was to find a boat and hijack it to slightly safer ground before plotting his return trip back to Prox or any of their installations. Still, there were military forces stationed around the city blocking most avenues of escape, and the dock would likely be no different.

Within a few minutes, his fears had been confirmed. There were people patrolling the docks here… but interestingly enough, there weren't nearly as many as he would have expected. A second look revealed otherwise, however – the port was enclosed by a breakwater to stall off tsunamis. There was only one path out, and two large navy cruisers were sitting there, apparently stopping and inspecting anyone who tried to leave. This wasn't going to be easy.

First things first, though – he needed to get on a ship. He could worry about them later.

Looking out over the wharves for what could be a good boat, Saturos slipped closer to the waterline, trying to stay out of sight of the nearby people. Thankfully, the military ships may have been working slightly to his advantage… at the very least, hardly anyone was around here given that most would simply be sent back.

But that didn't mean he was going to get away completely unobserved. Just as he was about to step onto one of the piers, two guards spotted him and quickly stepped before him, staring him down.

"Can I help you?" Saturos asked calmly. If he didn't act out of place, perhaps he could slip past without conflict.

"The city of Madra is currently under lockdown and you can't get through without proper clearance." The first guard shrugged, though the second one eyed Saturos warily. His hood was still up to hide his skin tone and hair colour, but enough could be seen of him to give them some idea of what he looked like without it being too suspicious. "Are one of these boats yours?"

"That one is, right over there." Saturos picked an average looking boat that he could use, being careful not to overdo it a little too much. Selecting the most expensive cruiser currently docked there might have set off a few alarm bells. "The one marked…" He hesitated suddenly when he read what the boat was called. "…_Sheba_."

Either fate had a really strange sense of humour, or something was very wrong here. Wasn't Sheba that girl that they had been planning to use for Stage Two?

That hesitation might have cost him any kind of credibility, however. The wary looking guard placed a hand at his belt, close to his pistol holster. "Funny how the _Sheba_ only arrived in port a couple of hours ago, commanded by a Lemurian who still happens to be on board."

A Lemurian? So that was where he'd gotten to after escaping…

The sudden revelation combined with the pain in Saturos' head must have been dulling his senses, since he failed to notice that he was now only talking to one guard. With a sudden burst of clarity, he span around and swung his fist out, striking the military man in the face and knocking him to the ground, his pistol falling from his grip.

Metal rasped against leather as the other drew his pistol, and Saturos quickly held his hands behind his shoulders and focused. His head hurt a lot, but not enough to completely stem his control of Psynergy. Two bursts of flames shot forth and struck the man, one in the face and the other in the chest. He fell to the ground, unconscious, though untouched by fire. Saturos had at least had the decency to use purely impact type Psynergy.

Facing his first victim, who was scrabbling for his weapon while trying to get into a sitting position, he kicked him sharply in the chest to dissuade any further attempts. Crouching down beside him, Saturos reached forward and struck the base of the man's skull hard, right where it met the spine. He slumped back, unconscious.

Taking a deep breath, Saturos looked around quickly to make sure that his assault had been unnoticed. There was no-one around, so he quickly dragged the two men just out of the way before running onto the wharf.

He had free pick of any of the ships now, but he still had no clue how to go about leaving Madra. That meant that his best chance for now was to inspect the _Sheba_ and see if his suspicions were confirmed.

Just as he was drawing closer to the boat, however, Saturos suddenly felt strange. He looked around, as if somehow looking out for unseen dangers. He didn't think to look down, however…

Suddenly, he was on the ground, too quickly to understand what had just happened. His head rattled against the dock, adding to the already considerable pain in his skull. A strange sensation lingered around his ankles… reaching down quickly as he sat up, Saturos found ice crystals around his pant legs. The sensation must have been his body trying to comprehend cold, something that his augmentation no longer left him capable of doing.

This was impossible… where did all these other Adepts keep coming from?!

His questions were answered as a torrent of water struck him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling back onto the wharf again. A shadow passed over him, and he realized that he was looking up into a face. Long blue hair ringed by an unusual looking headband, and a furious expression… Piers. The one who had escaped from Prox.

Saturos groaned, partly from pain and partly because of the situation. "Somehow, this isn't the kind of Piers I was looking for," he said sarcastically, trying to draw himself into a sitting position once more.

"Real funny." Piers stood beside Saturos and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him to his feet and forcing him onto the nearby _Sheba_. It was an average looking ship as he had observed earlier, but it seemed very sturdy and was still well-designed enough to coax speed out of it. If he could dispose of Piers, it would be perfect.

With a shove, Piers sent Saturos sprawling onto the floor inside the cabin. While the Lemurian was acting calmly, there was still clearly anger in him. Apparently he hadn't forgotten his captivity very easily.

"Fine. So you've somehow got the Mercury strain in you, you're now an Adept, and you just beat me up. What now?" Saturos glared at Piers, though a small smile crept onto his face as an idea came to him. "If you kill me, everything I know disappears and you're back at square one. However, I'm a wanted man, and they're coming for me. I need to get out of here quickly, and if they find you with me, you'll likely get in trouble too."

Piers stared at the Proxian, eyeing the smug expression. He was right, too. This man likely held a number of secrets relating to this Project Psynergy, and killing him would serve absolutely no purpose. He needed him alive for now.

"…you're right." Piers sighed, but then a devious grin crossed his face. Saturos immediately lost his own smile. That couldn't possibly be a good sign.

In moments, the Lemurian pulled him to his feet again and took his captive down a level, revealing this boat to be considerably well equipped. There was a full array of living quarters here, including a small bathroom and kitchen – apparently this boat was equipped for long trips. Piers pulled Saturos to the back of this area, and tapped a small section of the wall.

Something unseen must have been there, because Saturos heard a click and saw a floor panel on the ground next to them open up slightly. This wasn't a typical holding compartment – it looked designed for use by smugglers.

"Get in," Piers said calmly, holding the floor panel up for him.

"You can't be serious."

"Do you have a better way to get past two navy cruisers that will likely board and inspect me?" Piers' devious grin remained. "Get in now, or I'll brick you with an ice cube and dump your unconscious body in there myself."

"Fine, fine…" Saturos sighed and climbed into the small compartment, which was barely large enough to accommodate his frame. As soon as he was in, the hatch closed above him, blanketing him in darkness. There was no room to move, let alone try and escape… it was a good thing that he wasn't claustrophobic.

"You know, I don't think this was designed for human habitation, so there might be no way for air to get in there…" Piers' voice was muffled and laced with laughter, but it still set Saturos' heart racing. He wouldn't dare… before he could try and respond, however, footsteps were heard heading back to the deck. No chance for anything else but to hope that Piers would be benevolent…

- - - - -

Alex pressed a button on a remote control, switching off the screen that mounted the wall to his office here in the Jupiter Lighthouse. Menardi and Karst continued to stare at it for a few moments, however, as if the deactivated piece of technology would yield more answers if they focused long enough.

"I'm sure you're aware just how bad this situation is," Alex said, gesturing for them to return to their seats before him. Karst promptly moved to the desk, then hesitated and pulled Menardi into action as well. Her sister seemed in a complete daze, and given the situation, Karst didn't really blame her.

"We're aware," Karst said bluntly.

"But just how aware?" Alex looked a little pained, and it wasn't just from the failure of the retrieval operation. He had other Jupiter sources if all else failed, and concentrated bacteria of that strain wasn't required for the next stages anyway. Besides, the odds were that it had been destroyed in the failed operation, so that was good enough. As long as it was out of the immediate public's hands.

No, what concerned him was what he was about to tell Menardi regarding Saturos.

"Proxian bodies were found in a ruined building having just conducted a terrorist attack – all of them except Saturos one, presumably Saturos, were accounted for. No matter how silent Prox chooses to remain, or what they do about it, that's a fair bit of suspicion that will arouse a lot of unwanted interest on their affairs." Karst pursed her lips, glancing at Menardi repeatedly.

"That's true. But we can live with that. Stage Three is almost ready, and you two have both seen what I plan to do. Any suspicion now comes far too late." Alex sighed. "The seriousness of the whole affair is Saturo."

Menardi instantly paid attention, as if her superior was about to launch into a wonderful plan about how to help him. "What about him? Is he alive? Can we do anything?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know." Immediately, Menardi's expression sank again. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to send someone to try and locate him. Regardless of how many Proxians now possess Psynergy, you three and Agatio are the ones I trust the most, and I consider you to be the most useful – and powerful – of all my assistants." Alex smiled for a moment.

"Save the flattery," Menardi said quietly, meeting Alex's gaze with a determined expression. "Just send me there right now."

Alex sighed. "That I can't do. At the moment, this situation requires a large amount of tact. Any more Proxian agents in Madra will trigger alarm bells, and we don't want to let this get any more out of hand. Even if I could send you in there safely, there is the matter of your… how shall I put it… feelings for him. That kind of raw emotion is strong – and a good thing to have, don't misinterpret me – but it may lead you to making rash decisions." He shook his head. "That's something we can't have, not now."

Menardi was about to protest, but stopped. She seemed a little dizzy now, almost, and Karst absently placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Yeah… I know… you're right…"

"That said, I'm not leaving him alone." Alex's smile returned. "I have one young Adept in my employ who is well acquainted with Saturos and will be quite happy to try and intervene. Even better is the fact that he's not even Proxian."

The blonde woman blinked. "You mean you're sending Felix?"

"That's correct. He may not be the most trained or experienced, but he's what we need for this kind of thing, as long as he keeps a tight leash on his powers." Alex pursed his lips, then looked at Karst. "The nearest port to Madra is Alhafra, and so it's probably better that someone is there as well, just in case Saturos cannot be found. Perhaps you'd care to go there?"

Karst nodded, exchanging glances with Menardi. Neither of them protested – they knew the reasons. "I guess I'll be asked to stay under cover and keep my heritage a secret?"

"That would probably be smartest." The Lemurian opened his desk and began flicking through some papers. "I'll make the arrangements for you now, and you'll be able to leave later today. Menardi, as much as I understand how you feel, it is better if you stay here and continue helping me oversee these operations rather than being out in the field in this situation."

"Of course." Standing abruptly, Menardi gave a stiff bow and departed quickly, leaving her sister there for a moment longer.

"You noticed the feelings too, huh?" Karst asked Alex wryly.

"I've seen giant neon signs that were less conspicuous than those two," Alex responded with a grin. "Which is why I hope you and Felix are able to get him back safely. I'd like to have peace and happiness in the ranks."

"I have to hand it to you," the young Proxian woman said, "you're quite the caring one for someone who is about to plunge the world into chaos."

"I'm doing this for a reason that will benefit Weyard in the long run," he answered. "The immediate consequences may seem harsh and severe, but one day they'll all be thanking us, and at the very least Prox will be restored to a better place in the world."

"I hope so." Karst smiled and turned to leave. "Let me know when I'm all set to go."

Alex watched her leave, then resumed ransacking his desk in search of the appropriate documents. No sooner had Karst cleared the doorway did the intercom buzz. The screen on the communication device indicated that it wasn't from within the Lighthouse… not this Lighthouse, anyway. He pressed the button. "Alex here."

"I'm sorry to bother you Alex," Agatio's voice came through the speaker, "but we have a serious problem."

"Why am I not surprised…" Alex muttered. "What's wrong?"

**Author's Notes: **And in case anyone is wondering, I'm trying to fit Sheba into the next chapter. We haven't seen our godchild of Lalivero in some time, after all. I'm going to be on vacation for all of January, and I'm known for getting some of my best writing done then, so with luck I might have something for you when I return. Until then, peace out.


	15. Transaction

**Author's Notes: **It's not my intention to keep distancing the updates, but it happens. Yet it seems like a lot less time has passed… somebody put the world into overdrive or something, because I swear it hasn't been six months since the last chapter. Well, no point complaining now… here's the next one. Hope it's worth the wait and I hope people are still around to read it (though I sincerely doubt it in both cases).

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 12 – Transaction**

He had been in comparative safety for hours now, and still Ivan had no way to come to terms with what had just happened. His escape had been fairly smooth… after knocking out the Proxian Psynergy user, he had simply made his way through the building to the docks of the installation. The entire place was in a state of chaos and the power was completely out, so he'd managed to get there without issue.

There had been just one boat in that area, thankfully. No doubts there were more secreted elsewhere in the facility, but at least it gave Ivan a momentary feeling of security. In short order he had jumped onto the boat, got it started, and was away before the guards could intercept him.

Once he was out of immediate harm, that's when the realizations had truly settled into his mind. The mission had gone as planned, but he'd been left behind… instead of interrogating him, however, they had augmented him with the Psynergy. Had the Proxians planned to use him as an agent? It didn't seem very likely, given that they hadn't coerced him to their side, altered his memory, brainwashed him… nothing of that sort had been done to him. Perhaps they had planned to tell him afterwards, and make him believe that he had no choice… that was unlikely.

Mia had known nothing about what had been done to her. She didn't realize what she had been given, and she also knew nothing other than being abducted and nothing more. Perhaps the same would have been done to Ivan, and yet… he had woken up in the middle of the procedure. There had been multiple syringes and only half of them had been used, yet he'd blasted that Proxian aside almost easily. It didn't seem… complete. Had they made a mistake? It wasn't likely, but still…

There was a gap in his knowledge here, and it was something that Ivan was now determined to fill. As far as the Elementalists knew, he was still in their captivity. It was good to be on the side of people who were fighting for the same thing he was, and yet… they weren't. Ivan knew they weren't doing their best. He'd come into conflicts with Kraden and the other leaders multiple times because they seemed too soft. Isaac and Jenna would suit their needs… he liked the pair, but for now it was time to go solo. He didn't need to return.

He was going to tear apart the Proxian experiments with his own two hands. And now he even had the power to back it up.

There had been clothes and a few emergency supplies in the boat, but it wasn't enough to wage a war from. Ivan had to get to a better location to go from here. From memory of their planning, he knew that the closest cities to this location were Prox itself, and also Imil. The former was naturally out, so the latter was the best choice.

The air was almost always cold this far north, and thus there was usually a lot of fog. This boat he'd taken lacked any real methods of detecting anything, so it was all down to his eyesight in making sure.

Minutes passed without any event, and Ivan yawned slightly. He was tired… unconsciousness was really no substitute for restful sleep. The first thing he'd do in Imil was find an inn and rest for a while…

_Thump._

The entire ship rocked slightly and the engine stuttered very briefly, forcing Ivan to instantly look around. Had he struck a reef or a rock or something of that nature? He stood up from his chair and moved towards the rear of the vessel.

Before he could, however, the door burst open and a pistol barrel was leveled at him. Ivan stopped and made a grab for his own pistol, but a voice interrupted him.

"D-don't! Stay right there!"

It was less the words that made him stay his hand… it was more that the voice was female and young too. Slowly Ivan raised his hands, taking in the details of the figure behind the gun.

She was very young… she looked even younger than him. Yet her features were strikingly similar to his own – blonde hair, somewhat short for her apparent age, and her eyes were a curious shade of blue that looked almost violet.

"You're not a Proxian. Why are you in a Proxian boat?" The girl didn't move or lower her weapon, and her voice was surprisingly hard. How on earth had Ivan missed the noise of her own boat approaching his?

"Because I stole it when I ran away from them," Ivan replied calmly and truthfully.

"You're lying."

"Oh come now. Do I look like I'd be working for Prox? I'm too young, an outsider, and a few days ago I attempted to bomb their installation." The events of the last few days had been so extreme that they made Ivan sound almost sarcastic.

Still, they worked. The girl lowered her gun slightly, yet didn't drop it all the way. She studied him for a moment, and Ivan did the same, noting her dark clothes and the fact that she was shivering slightly.

"…why should I trust you?"

"Because you're raiding a boat belonging to Proxians even though it's been stolen?" Ivan sighed and took a step closer. "Put the gun down, I won't hurt you if you explain to me why."

The girl didn't do as asked, and the pistol remained leveled. This one was smart.

"They stole my memories," she replied quietly. "They did something to me and now I barely remember anything at all. But I know it was them and I know they're doing horrible things."

Memory trauma? That was likely a sign that she'd been altered, if anything that the Elementalists had learnt and that Mia had said were truthful.

"What's your name? Do you happen to remember that?"

The girl paused slightly before responding to that. "Sheba. Why?"

"Well, Sheba, you're invading the boat that I stole in order to escape from the horrible things that Prox is doing to people. However, I have every intention of going back in order to stop those horrible things, and it will likely involve a gigantic explosion that can be seen from Lemuria." Not just sarcastic, but almost cocky. Ivan frowned at himself. "Since I can only imagine that that's your end goal too… how about you lower the gun and come help me?"

Only now did Sheba lower the weapon. "You'd help me?"

"If that's what you're aiming to do, I don't see why not. First I have to stop by Imil – assuming that's near where we are – and resupply so that I can leave the place alive afterwards, but then I can guide you to their installation in these waters and we can tear it down." Ivan extended his hand. "Shall we work together on this?"

He was rushing things along, but it seemed more likely that he'd get a better response this way. And Ivan had no intention of delaying negotiations when the gun was pointed at him. However, his words struck home, and Sheba shook the hand after a moment.

"Alright…" She released his grip and stepped backwards back onto the deck. "If you don't want to abandon that ship, I'll lead you to Imil."

Ivan nodded. "I'd appreciate that. We can discuss plans further once we arrive."

Sheba nodded too. "Very well…" Her expression turned harsh again. "But if you've lied to me or plan to betray me, I won't hesitate to shoot you."

"I understand." Ivan calmly turned around and moved to his seat, waiting. After a few moments, another engine started up beside his boat, and Sheba's equally small vessel floated past his into the fog. He gunned the engines and followed after her.

A strange turn of events… yet still, Sheba could be useful.

- - - - -

"Please keep your voice down and don't be surprised," Piers said quietly into his communicator with a small smile.

The reaction was just as he had anticipated, but at least Kraden had the sense to do as asked. "Piers?! Is that really you? Oh my… so you're the agent who was coming here after all?"

"That's right." Piers looked around absently, noticing the other ships on the dock through the portholes in the cabin. It was quiet and no-one was around at this time of night, save a few wanderers, so there was little chance of being overheard. At least, little chance from outsiders… but he still had someone else in the _Sheba_ that shouldn't have been listening.

"They didn't tell me that you'd gotten away from Alex."

"Well, I did, and there's a fair bit of information that we've been ordered to pass between us. Apparently, you also needed me to deliver a few people to Lemuria."

"Yes, that's true." Kraden was silent for a moment, as if considering it. "You know full well of Project Psynergy, right?"

Piers chuckled, looking at his free hand as if expecting it to freeze over. "You have no idea. But we shouldn't discuss that now. Is there somewhere I can meet you?"

"Of course. Pay attention and I'll give you the directions."

The next minute or two was spent with Piers getting the details of Kraden's current whereabouts in the city. A few brief words followed and then there was silence, the rest of the conversation to be carried out in privacy elsewhere.

Ahh, Kraden. The old man had been a scholar in service of the Lemurian government for some time, and his knowledge of history and attention to detail had made him well-known throughout all branches of the country. That was why he'd been on the Navy expedition to Tundaria with Alex, as well as the second hidden observer against the suspected traitorous acts of the naval officer. Piers had worked with him before that, and they had been comrades and friends just as Kraden had been with Alex before his flight from Lemuria.

Still, that was old news. It was time to focus on the present. Putting his communicator away, Piers did another quick check of the area outside, not seeing anyone or anything suspicious. Before going anywhere, though, he had another charge

He'd successfully smuggled Saturos out of Madra, and the Proxian had not left the small compartment that was his prison for anything except the base essentials, under Piers' watchful eye. He'd negotiate to Kraden about having another agent take care of him shortly, but for now he had to remain in the boat.

Piers moved into the appropriate corner of the living area and tapped the floor panel with his foot. "Answer me Saturos, or I'll use my Psynergy in there."

"You do realize I can't feel the cold, right?" replied the annoyed voice of the Proxian, the heavy irritation clear even with the interference from the walls of the compartment.

"But you can drown if I flood the compartment."

"I'm sure you didn't get my attention just to gloat over your prisoner. Now what do you want?" Saturos sounded calm, more so than anything else, as if he was only moderately annoyed at his circumstances.

"I'm leaving the boat for a while. We're currently in Alhafra, which is currently being monitored carefully for any signs of the renegade Proxian terrorist… that being you." Piers folded his arms, even if Saturos couldn't see it. "There are also a number of other Lemurian agents wandering around the city. So don't try and escape, because you won't get far."

"You've made your point. Go on then." Saturos immediately fell silent, and Piers shrugged before turning on his heel and walking out to the deck, locking the entrance behind him. If nothing else, it would be good to see Kraden again. Absently, he wondered who else he'd be transporting…

- - - - -

It was cold this evening in Alhafra – winter would be upon them in the next month, and so most of the citizens were either covered in warm clothes, or avoided going outside altogether. Karst felt like laughing in their faces – these people had no clues about what a winter should have been like, since this would have been a mild spring weather for the icy land that was Prox… assuming she could still feel the cold, at least. Still, it wasn't good to draw attention to herself by making a fuss about it.

But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to snub them in their own way, so she wore a casual black short-sleeved shirt and a matching skirt as she walked through the streets. At least that way anyone that passed her would think her insane. It was the way Karst did things… she liked to be noticed. She could be incredibly determined if she had a reason, but if she could afford a little freedom, she took it gladly.

If she was needed to help Saturos, however, she'd show the world just what she could do. She may have been younger than and not quite as mature as Menardi, but she was certainly incredibly capable. Alex hadn't selected her for lack of ability, after all.

Looking around, she sighed slightly. Yes, she may have ability, but at the moment she could do very little. She'd been in Alhafra since just after dawn, and had been doing as much surreptitious intelligence gathering work as soon as she'd arrived. Her efforts had turned up nothing so far – no sign of Saturos or anyone of Proxian blood who wasn't a citizen. If he had fled somewhere, it didn't seem like it had been Alhafra, but she wasn't finished searching yet.

Still, it was getting fairly late. Karst looked up at the night sky, seeing stars here and there through gaps in the cloud cover. It had been a mostly overcast day, only clearing up a few hours prior. It would be late in Madra by now, and Felix would probably be available for contact. Maybe he'd had better luck.

Karst tapped the pouch at her waist to assure herself that the two most important items for this mission were there – her communicator and her energy blade. The solid touch was comforting, and she smiled. Good. Making sure no-one was around, she fished out the communicator and was about to activate it, but hesitated. For some reason she didn't feel like it would be a good idea to talk here… maybe somewhere a little more open.

Keeping the item in her clenched fist, she moved swiftly through the streets, looking for somewhere safe. She could hear a faint noise… a moment later Karst realized that it was the sound of waves. She must have been close to the port. That would at least be a little more open, so she moved in that direction.

In fairly short order, Karst found herself standing on the edge of a concrete wharf, looking over the water. It was a quiet night in the Alhafra port… since Madra was blockaded after the 'terrorist' attack, Alhafra's trade had mostly slowed down. A few ships were in port, but she had a relatively unrestricted view of the harbour and of the various smaller boats coming back and forth. This would be better.

Looking around once more and noting that she was alone, Karst smiled and raised the communicator once again. It wasn't as versatile as a regular phone, but it ran on a separate line that was much harder to tap into for whatever reason, so it served its purpose. It still wouldn't be good to be seen with it, though, or to be heard talking about their mission.

Was that really it, though? It felt weird that she was acting like this without thinking about it… Karst wondered why. She shrugged and tapped in his contact number, sending a brief signal to him. If he wasn't in a position to respond, he'd return the signal but wouldn't start talking. She hoped he would, though – it was lonely out here and she felt like talking to someone.

A quick series of beeps followed, knowledge that he'd received the signal. Karst waited for a moment, hoping that the voice would come through.

And it did. "Gaia." It was Felix's voice, no doubt. Karst smiled to herself briefly.

"Magma here." Naturally, they were using code names just in case someone had their connection. "How's the searching on your end?"

"I just finished since everything is buckling down for the night. It's been a big day."

"This is your first mission, right?"

"Yeah, so I imagine the nervousness didn't help." He chuckled slightly, and Karst smiled again.

"Did you find out anything?"

"I searched all the records I could get access to and covered my tracks nicely. Hacking isn't my specialty so I didn't get into anything hard to reach, but out of the publicly available stuff, there's no news. No confirmed sightings of Rogue since the initial incident, and every other brief sighting has turned up nothing. They're just chasing at shadows."

Karst nodded to herself. "Think he got away?"

"I don't know, it was pretty hard getting INTO the city, and you know how Blue is with his meticulous entry preparations." Felix chuckled again. "But the place is cordoned off tight… outbound air traffic is grounded save for very rare situations, boats can't leave without special clearance and a thorough search, and the military has blockaded the entire city. They've pulled out all the stops on this one, so odds are that he's gone to ground."

"Not really surprising in any respect. They'll do anything to make sure nothing like the war is repeated again. And Rogue's best bet would be to hide out until things loosen up… but that's still hard for us." Karst sighed slightly, but she didn't know why. A challenge was no big deal.

"Yeah. No sign of him on your end, I guess?"

"Nothing, and I've been thorough. If he did come here, he didn't go out in the open."

"Too bad." Felix paused for a while, and for a brief instant Karst was wondering if she'd lost his signal. "What now, then?"

"We keep searching until we get a sign of Rogue, then try and get him back to safety. That's the mission."

"Right. I'd better go, then."

Karst nodded, even though he couldn't see the gesture. "Alright. Keep in t…" Suddenly, she hesitated, a weird sensation rippling through her. Was she imagining things? She looked around carefully, peering through the docks at the boats and people there.

"…Magma, you still there?"

"…yeah, but I just had this weird feeling…"

"It's not because you're talking to me is it?" Felix responded, a slightly teasing tone in his voice. Karst snorted a little and made a face, though for whatever reason she couldn't deny it outright.

"There's a person on the dock in the distance… and he looks familiar."

"Rogue?"

"No. It's…" Karst hesitated, then snarled slightly. "Him! It's the agent who escaped from Prox… you know, the Lemurian?"

There was a moment of hesitation on Felix's end. "You mean Piers?"

Karst scanned the dock again. It was difficult to see at this distance, but she could clearly make out the same vague shape, size, hair style, and especially the headband that marked the man. "It definitely looks like him. And he knows some of what's going on… he's probably already informed Lemuria. What should I do about him?"

"I don't know," Felix answered, sounding a little concerned. "Besides, you're of higher rank than me, you make the executive decisions as far as this is concerned."

"That doesn't mean you're not allowed to give advice when I ask for it," she answered with some exasperation, but quickly softened. "Fine, I'm going to find out if it is him."

"Alright. Don't give yourself up… I wouldn't want to lose you." Felix chuckled, but the words made Karst blink in surprise. Nonetheless, she shook her head, silently cursing that momentary weakness.

"I'll be careful. Stay in touch, Magma out."

Karst switched off the communicator, holding it before her for a moment in silence before pocketing it. She could almost literally feel their connection break, and it elicited a sigh from her before she began to walk towards the dock.

Prox had always been an interesting society. In order to encourage working together to survive in the cold, blasted lands of the north, children were often assigned partners at a young age. These partners were kept together for much of the early life, doing just about everything together and helping each other out carefully. Often they were very different people that were partnered together… that had been the case with Saturos and Menardi.

Karst, however, had been one of the few uncommon – but not too rare – cases in which a partner had not been assigned. It was no big deal and she had grown up normally, but it often became clear to those around her that she held onto people and their closeness a little more than most.

That was probably why she was enjoying working with Felix now… she sighed wistfully, then smirked. She wasn't going to lie to herself… she liked Felix, a little. Ever since he'd been brought to Prox with amnesia five years ago, she had tried to be someone he could turn to, even if ultimately he spent much of his time with those who helped take care of him, particularly Saturos and Menardi. But they were friends, and she'd done as much as she could to help him out too. He'd appreciated her company and grown close, if nothing else.

That little nudge she'd just felt wasn't the first she'd experienced where Felix was concerned, and her feelings were becoming increasingly noticeable. Silently, Karst promised herself this now: she'd say something to Felix and see if anything was possible… before Saturos and Menardi acknowledged their own blatantly obvious feelings and actually moved in together.

Smirking, Karst brought her thoughts back into focus. She was much closer to the dock now, but the Lemurian she had seen earlier had gone. No surprise… even while distracted, Karst knew not to place herself too out in the open, but that had made her take a little longer.

Still, she had seen his boat, and she could at least look it over and see if it could possibly have belong to him. In effect, she was a Proxian secret agent, so she had the abilities to do just that. She looked over the boats and picked out the right wrong… then stopped and stared the name emblazoned on the side.

The _Sheba_. Either that was a not-so-subtle hint, or Irony was laughing at her.

Karst readied her tools and got to work.

- - - - -

The Elementalists were a fairly good-sized society, and this main safehouse of theirs was an impressive building. Outside it was nothing remarkable so as not to draw attention, but within was a high-tech array of systems, as well as a large amount of space provided by underground levels.

It was in one of those chambers below ground that Isaac walked through now, heading calmly through the empty corridor towards his destination. Not far behind him trailed Jenna, though she didn't look nearly as confident as he did.

"Are you sure we're not taking a risk down here?" Jenna asked him as they walked, looking around. They hadn't been to this area of the base before, they'd just received the directions from Kraden.

"Kraden told us where it was. If we weren't allowed here, then he wouldn't have done so." Isaac shrugged. "Besides, the Lemurian guy arrives today, and Mia will be coming with us anyway. It won't hurt to talk to her now."

"I guess so," Jenna conceded, just as she had done when Isaac had stated his intentions of visiting Mia in her cell. After somehow waking up to the knowledge of her Psynergy augmentation, the young Imilian girl had been placed in confinement under orders from the Lemurians. Until she could be brought somewhere safe – Lemuria itself – then that would be where she stayed.

"You didn't have to come if you're so worried," Isaac pointed out. "And you should still be resting anyway." He sounded almost gentle.

"I'm fine," Jenna said sternly. Her tone was direct, and she still didn't sound pleased at what was going on. "I barely even feel the wound now."

Isaac glanced back, studying her for a moment. She looked completely fine, though her expression was somewhat unhappy. He didn't really know why, and it wasn't his nature to pry about these matters… he simply looked forward and continued on. Unknowingly to him, Jenna's expression softened after he turned, and she began to chew on her lower lip.

A little more walking brought them to their destination. The corridor ended with an open doorway that revealed another hallway perpendicular to this one. The entire opposite wall was lined with doors, all of which contained barred windows. Isaac absently counted a few to the right and moved to the one he finished at, knocking softly. Jenna took up position behind him, simply an observer to Isaac's intentions.

A moment passed without anything, then a young woman's face appeared through the bars, studying them curiously. "Yes?" Her voice was gentle, though there was no mistaking the sense of exasperation hidden in her tone.

"You're Mia?" Isaac asked, taking in her features. About his age, perhaps just a little older, with pretty features and the typical cerulean hair that was common in Imil. "My name is Isaac. I just came to talk briefly."

Mia stared at him for a moment, before sighing. "You don't look like most of the Elementalists who come down here, so I'll listen. What is it?"

Jenna took a step back and leaned against the opposite wall, displeasure evident in her face. A glance up either end of the corridor showed that there were Elementalists on guard duty watching them – she hoped that Isaac had noticed them before he revealed anything that was too secret.

"Just so you know, we're friends of Ivan."

That got Mia's attention, and she looked over Isaac hopefully. "Ivan? Where is he?"

Isaac hesitated at this. "I'm afraid that he's still on a mission. We were with him for a time, but we finished our part while he remained there."

"Oh." She seemed slightly disappointed, but gestured for Isaac to continue.

"That said… you'll be getting out of here today. The Elementalists are moving you to another holding later tonight, and Jenna and I will be going with you. There, they'll probably try and ask you more about what you know… maybe even recruit you."

Jenna smiled inwardly. Apparently he HAD noticed them.

"Recruit me?" Mia sighed. "And I imagine if I don't agree to help them, I'll remain locked up here?"

"I don't know exactly. All I know is that you're being moved."

She sighed again, looking at Isaac directly. "Since I don't know if Ivan has given you the full story… I have no idea what happened to me. All I know is that I was kidnapped by Proxians, and then Ivan came and saved me from them. A few days later, though, I suddenly realized that I was able to move water around, turn it into ice… strange things right out of a science fiction movie. Things that terrify me completely. And for this I'm locked away. I want no part in this, I just want to go home!"

Isaac nodded. "I understand… I'm sorry Mia, and I wish I could do that for you. So does Ivan." He glanced at Jenna for a moment. "Once you're in the other safe house, the Elementalists will likely let you go, or at least give you more freedom than being down here. If not, well, I'll talk to them about it and try to make them see reason."

"I've heard that before…" Mia answered quietly, looking away.

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to." Isaac paused for a moment, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry to bother you. We'll likely be here to get you later tonight, and we can try and set things right from there."

Mia nodded, but she didn't look at him again. She just stepped away from the door, moving to lie on her bed again.

With this, Jenna detached herself from the wall and stood beside Isaac. "Satisfied?" she said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Yeah." He slipped past her quickly, almost before she could react, and headed back the way they'd come without another word.

Hesitating for a moment, Jenna followed him, though didn't close the distance between them. Something was gnawing at her mind at this… she'd been on great terms with Isaac just hours ago, yet now he was slipping back into his quiet personality. Was she making him angry?

"Sorry…" she whispered, so that he couldn't hear her. Only when they'd been talking about Mia had this come up… why was that?

- - - - -

Saturos was good at keeping control of himself. He was usually a calm and controlled person, and was required to be given the nature of his work in the Proxian military. Even after volunteering for Project Psynergy, he'd had to retain that emotion. Why he had lost total control in Madra was still beyond him, and his only explanation was a side effect of the Psynergy augmentation.

Now he was doing his best to stay even more controlled than he usually did. But that wasn't enough to keep him from becoming mind-numbingly _bored_ in the dark, cramped confines of the smuggling compartment aboard Piers' ship.

He was not in a good position. Piers had been right… leaving Madra had seen the _Sheba_ inspected by the Madran navy, yet thankfully they had overlooked the smuggler's compartment. But just because Saturos was out of that incident, being in Piers' custody wasn't much better. After stopping in Alhafra, they were heading directly for Lemuria, and from there he'd be held until retrieved by the Proxians… but that could take some time.

At least Piers wasn't a harsh jailer – he did give him food and water, even though he remained on guard every time. Saturos wasn't going to risk unleashing Psynergy on the boat, though, so he remained peaceful for now.

But if he didn't get off this boat soon… it would be bad news. He sighed, absently thinking of Menardi. The odds of people finding him weren't that good.

And then a thumping noise echoed through the boat. Saturos frowned, listening carefully. The compartment blocked out most of the minor noises, but he could hear the faint, whirring sound of machinery. It seemed to be coming from the general direction of the boat entrance.

Interesting… maybe the odds were better than expected.

A click sounded, and the door opened. A moment later it closed again. Still, Saturos could feel rather than hear the subtle footsteps rumble through the hull of the boat, setting it rocking just a little more against the waves.

Seeing his chance, he waited until the footsteps

"Alright, who's there?" said a familiar voice… a female voice.

He blinked in disbelief. "Menardi? Is that you?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm the pretty sister," Karst replied with amusement. Still, that was enough… any familiar noise was a wonderful thing to hear for him. She kept her voice hushed. "What in Weyard are you doing here, Saturos?"

"I had a revelation and joined the Lemurians. What do you think?" Saturos hissed, then balled his fists tightly in an effort to keep his anger in check. He'd been reacting so angrily to things lately… part of it was his situation, but he knew part of it also had to be the Psynergy.

"He got to you before the Navy did, huh? Fine. Am I just hearing voices are you really here?"

"I'm here, in the floor. There's a hidden compartment which he stuffed me in… press the wall section just above the cabinet."

There was a pause, and then a faint click. "That one?"

Suddenly filled with adrenalin at the prospect of escape, Saturos kicked the compartment open, immediately shielding his eyes from the sudden return of vision. He briefly saw the surroundings of the boat, and of the younger Proxian crouching down before him.

"Why are you shielding your eyes?" Karst demanded. "It's dark!"

"I haven't been out of there in ages except for food and water." Saturos blinked a few times, then nodded. "Okay." He focused on Karst, grinning. "I'm glad to see you again. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find you." Karst gave him a thumbs up, returning the grin. "Alex felt obliged to save your butt, so he sent Felix and I to find you."

"Felix? Where is he?"

"Still in Madra. I came here just in case you'd made it out. I just happened to spot the runaway Lemurian on the docks here, so I decided to raid his boat."

"A good thing, too." Saturos stood, stretching his arms and legs. His whole body felt numb and sore after all that time in that small compartment.

Karst stood as well, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a communicator. "I should tell Felix about what just happened."

"Not yet," Saturos said, pulling out a concealed communicator from a pocket in his shirt. "Here, listen to this."

He tapped a button, and immediately two voices began to play back. It was muffled and very quiet, but one of the voices was unmistakably Piers, while the other was a much older man.

"What's this?" Karst asked curiously.

"He didn't take my communicator from me, he just jammed the transmissions instead." Saturos grinned. "What he didn't realize is that mine is capable of recording messages… so I just recorded the conversation he made with this person."

At exactly that time, the old man spoke an address and a password.

"How about we go make ourselves useful while we're still here?" he suggested. "I'm itching for some revenge."

Karst grinned.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **As well as everything else, you may notice my little take on Karst. We know her as little but the violent sister of Menardi thirsting for revenge, and so I imagine that bringing her into a startlingly different scenario would have undoubtedly had different results. I don't want to betray how Karst is portrayed, but at the same time, I'm exploring a few of the alternatives that we might have seen had Menardi not plummeted to her death in game. I felt that an interesting take on Proxian society would suffice, but if you feel otherwise, please tell me. I'm interested in your opinions, especially on something as canon-altering as this. Once again, my apologies for the immense wait, and I sincerely hope I don't keep doing this.


	16. Infliction

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is very, very unusual. Why? Because I actually wrote it within a reasonable amount of time! I'm happy with myself for doing this… but that's not the only reason it's unusual. Why? Well, you'll see… Just a note, those of you who can't stomach violence shouldn't read the end of this chapter. Those who do enjoy a battle should keep reading. Regardless of your tendencies, I hope you like this one.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 13 - Infliction**

Saturos was slightly older than Karst, and yet his abilities seemed to go far beyond the minor difference in their ages. He was one of the best warriors in Prox, and thus he had been a likely target for Alex to use. While it was Menardi that was mostly in his presence, Karst had watched him in his tasks too... probably more so than her older sister. After all, Menardi was likely looking at his _other_ assets.

It seemed normal, then, that Saturos immediately took command of the situation. In a ridiculously short amount of time, he had directions to the rendezvous point that had been revealed in Piers' recorded conversation. Not only that, but he'd also memorised the entry code, found them clothes to be used as cheap disguises, and retrieved an energy blade - albeit a low quality one - in that same period. Karst had watched and assisted, quietly stunned by his precision and ability. All she'd really done during that time was contact Felix again and inform him of her success.

It was easy to see why Saturos climbed the ranks so quickly, and how most of the Proxian Adepts - especially the original four, and Felix as well - had wordlessly dubbed him as their de-facto leader.

Why, then, had the Madra incident occurred...?

Karst had hoped to keep a professional silence while they went about this mission, planning to wait until they went to ground. But she couldn't contain her curiosity for that long. They were quickly approaching the rendezvous building when she cleared her throat and began to speak.

"I know this isn't the best time," she began, keeping her voice down so any passers-by were unable to hear. "But I'd like to hear what actually happened at Madra and then with Piers. Alex told me about the mission you were sent to do, and we saw on TV and all over the net about what the bloodbath... but that's all we know."

"Can it wait?" Saturos asked gently. Before she could respond, he stopped, and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Actually, part of it shouldn't wait. What was broadcasted about it?"

"A group of Proxians were seen marching into the police headquarters at Madra." Karst tried to recall the exact details of what had been said. "The building immediately went into lockdown, and shortly after a serious inferno was sparked there. Few if any came out afterwards, though the one Proxian who did immediately assaulted the crowd and fled." She thought for a moment. "No confirmed death count, but they said that it was large, perhaps one of the biggest bloodbaths in recent history."

Saturos looked at the ground, apparently considering this. He seemed really uneasy… and who wouldn't be? "All true. Did they mention the fact that I was unleashing fireballs?"

"No. It was assumed that it was all explosives, and most of the fatalities were from the energy blade anyway." Karst shrugged, studying him for a moment. "What happened? What made you lose your cool like that?"

"I... I can only guess." He paused. "The mission was a failure. We couldn't retrieve the Psynergy, because it was destroyed by one of the higher ranking police officers when I made it clear that that was what I was coming for. It ended with a battle in which I ultimately lost... mainly because two of the three police officers present were using Psynergy."

Karst stared at him blankly. "I'm positive I didn't hear that right."

"You did." Saturos looked up and met her gaze. "A young guy managed to counter my fire abilities with his own, and the higher ranked one that I mentioned fired lightning bolts at me... as if she had the Jupiter strain."

"How is that possible?!" she demanded, before remembering where they were. "There's no-one else out there with those abilities, surely!"

"It didn't end there. I was knocked out for a while, and apparently the entire building had caught ablaze when I was unconscious. I quickly made my way outside to find that I was the only surviving Proxian left... and I had nothing to show for it. No Psynergy... no information about the other Adepts... nothing. So many dead for nothing." Saturos clenched his fists. "Ugh. It made me angry... so angry that I just lost control. I didn't care about anything else... I just attacked people with complete disregard for anything or anyone."

That was very much unlike him. Saturos had always been level-headed and calm. It allowed him to focus on his duties and abilities all the more, just enhancing his already formidable capabilities. Karst could remember very few incidents where he'd been angry, and none at all where he'd flown in a rage as reckless as that one.

"That doesn't sound like you at all. Even in past failures you've just strengthened your resolve to be successful in the next."

Saturos shrugged slightly, still looking somewhat downcast. "I'm about ready to call it a side effect. The presence of Psynergy must… change us, a little. We saw effects from the very start… all of us picked up tempers."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Karst demanded, suddenly angry.

He blinked in surprise and stared at her for a moment. She could only hold the angry expression for a moment before her smile returned, and they both began to laugh.

"Very funny…" Saturos shook his head. "Whatever the case, do everything in your power to keep your anger in check. We don't need a repeat."

"Got it." Karst went over everything again. "So what's your theory about the Psynergy users? Where'd they come from?"

"I think Lemuria or some other country may be on to us," Saturos said, considering the situation again. "Piers had to have reported back to them after escaping Prox, and he did get away by stealing one of our supply ships… he may have gotten a shipment that was en route to Imil. That's how he got me in Madra… he caught me off guard by using Mercury Psynergy, so there's that. But the Jupiter strain is really rare, and the fire user wasn't a Proxian. I don't know where those came from."

"There's more to this situation than we know, I suppose…" Karst sighed. "You don't think there are any other Psynergy users aside from Piers where we're going, do you?"

"At this point, all I can say is to be ready for anything." Saturos turned forward and began moving again, though he glanced over his shoulder at her. "But at least I'm not off guard this time, and I have backup."

"That's right." Karst gave him the thumbs up. "Now let's get to work."

They were only a few streets away from their destination now.

- - - - -

Jenna jumped slightly as someone knocked heavily on her door. She looked around suddenly, taking in the features of her quarters, feeling the comfort of the bed she was lying on, and particularly the weight of the laptop resting on her legs. Her eyes were somewhat unfocused… she must have been daydreaming. Once again, the person knocked.

"Just a second," Jenna called, putting her laptop aside and moving to the door. There were two possibilities as to the identity of her visitor… it was someone coming to fetch her for the meeting with the Lemurian Agent, or it was Isaac.

For whatever reason, the thought of the latter was making her nervous.

She unbolted the door and opened it slightly. It was Isaac. He stood outside, looking around quickly for a moment before focusing on her.

"It's not time for the meeting," he said quietly, which made Jenna frown slightly. "But I really need to talk to you. Privately. Can I come in?"

"Sure. What's it about?" Something about this made Jenna uneasy. There was a faint aura of nervousness around Isaac that was something she wasn't used to her. Her relatively short time with him revealed him to be incredibly calm.

"Not out here." He slipped past her and into the room, closing the door behind him and facing Jenna. "Do you know if this room is bugged at all?"

This really worried her, but she tried to keep her confusion off her face. "It was, but I think I've muffled most of them. What do you want to say that needs silence?"

Isaac opened his mouth, then hesitated and closed it again. He looked at the ground, and then shook his head. "I… I don't know if I should say it. Can you promise not to hate me for it?"

"Hate you? I wouldn't hate you." _He's not… hitting on me, is he?_ For some reason, that thought set Jenna's heart racing. Surely not… yet something about this meeting was driving Isaac's nerves up the wall. And now hers too… she silently cursed herself for thinking of that possibility. It wasn't that. It wasn't that.

"You might." Isaac took a deep breath before turning away from her, facing one of the walls. Their quarters were below ground for safety, a level or two above the cells where Mia was being kept. And the walls were cold stone. That was what he focused on now.

Slowly, he extended a hand, palm open and outward at the wall.

"What are you doing?" Jenna asked softly, only to be met with a quick shake of his head. Carefully, his fingers closed as if he was balling a fist.

And the stone wall became to vibrate slightly. She stifled a gasp, watching as breaks appeared in the otherwise solid stone. A crack formed… two of them, a short distance apart, and they continued to spread in a roughly circular formation, eventually touching each other.

Isaac pulled his arm back gently… and the cracked portion of the wall came with it. Just moments later, the broken portion of the stone wall was _hovering_ in the air before them. Once again, Isaac moved his arm, this time gesturing for the rock to fall to the ground. It did so, moving gently and defying all gravity in the process.

Finally, he turned to Jenna, a sad look in his eyes. Absently, she realized that her mouth was open, and she closed it suddenly. She was shivering slightly at the impossibility that she'd seen. She'd been told about Psynergy, about how the Proxians were using it, yet she'd never actually seen it happen.

Yet now she had… and by Isaac of all people…

"H-how?!" she asked suddenly, fighting the urge to step away from him. "You… was that… did you just use Psynergy?"

"I guess so," he replied quietly, avoiding her gaze. "I only read the basic diagnostics on what Psynergy does… but I'm pretty sure what I just did wasn't normal." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Jenna took a deep breath, forcing herself to come to terms with what she'd just seen. Given all she'd seen and done lately, this wasn't that big a stretch. Right now he seemed to need her support for this – that was why he'd come to her. And he wasn't going to get it if she gawked at him.

"Don't be sorry…" she shrugged, taking a step closer to show she wasn't afraid. "How… how exactly could you do that?"

"I don't know." His expression shifted ever so slightly, showing vague hints of relief. "I just… discovered it, after we were interrogated by Kraden following our return. I don't understand it… I can just… make the rocks move. Make them break, make them shift... things I didn't think possible, no matter what I've been told."

"Well… do you know how you got it?"

"Of course not." Isaac shook his head. "This is the first time I've ever done something like this… or at least, what I remember. It could have happened sometime before I lost my memory… two or more years ago."

"That would be before the Proxians started doing things, though…" Jenna considered that. They didn't have any real dates on the subject, but it was a reasonable estimate that the activities relating to Psynergy had gone on for no more than a few months.

"Maybe I'm just a freak," Isaac suggested, sighing heavily.

Immediately, she took another step forward and placed her hands on his shoulders sharply, forcing him to look up and meet her gaze.

"Psynergy is granted by alterations to human DNA through the use of a kind of bacteria," Jenna explained, calmly and without hesitation. The information Ivan had given her came to the front of her mind. "Bacteria that is naturally occurring… completely natural. Maybe the Proxians just got the idea from elsewhere and it can happen on its own. But who cares… you're not a freak." She stared at him directly. "You're Isaac."

Slowly, Isaac nodded. More relief appeared in his features. "I didn't want to show you… I was afraid that you'd hide from me or something."

"Of course I wouldn't, you're too cute for that." It took a moment for Jenna to realize what she'd said, and when she did her cheeks immediately flushed. "Um, that is, I think you're a good friend. I wouldn't do that to you." She silently cursed the shakiness in her voice. What was she _doing_?

Isaac blinked at her… more than once. "If… you say so…" Now he sounded slightly shaky himself, and that didn't ease Jenna's mind at all.

_Okay, just WHAT am I doing? _Jenna thought to herself, releasing his shoulders and taking a slight step back. Her cheeks were flushed now… she'd really gone and made things awkward.

"I was hoping I could trust you with this," Isaac said quietly, shaking his head. He seemed slightly embarrassed too, though he was showing it far less. "It's why I came to you, despite my fears."

"You can trust me," Jenna said reassuringly. "Just like I trust you, regardless of what you can do."

"I appreciate that." He smiled… then it faded, and his expression became unnaturally curious. "Uh… am I really that cute?"

Once again, Jenna flushed intensely, and she instinctively turned away. "Oh come on!" she demanded, avoiding the subject. Absently, she walked over to the removed section of the wall and lifted it up, putting it loosely back in its place.

"Well… thanks…" Isaac laughed a little. The laughter quickly trailed off, only to be replaced by hesitation. "You're far cuter, though."

"Oh please… can we drop the subject?" Jenna asked, though she said it without any harshness in her voice. "It's really embarrassing…"

"Of course." Isaac cleared his throat. "We should probably go and meet Kraden now… it's almost that time, so it couldn't really hurt to do so."

Jenna nodded, finally looking at him again once she was sure her blush had subsided slightly. Isaac seemed a little calmer now… back to his usual self, even more so than he had been in the time since their return to Alhafra.

Well, at least their embarrassment had served _some_ purpose…

"Yeah, we should. Care to lead the way?"

"Certainly." Isaac opened the door and held it for her, and together they departed the quarters to the main section of the installation. Though now Jenna's mind was on things far away from the Elementalists, Kraden, or even Psynergy…

- - - - -

"I requested that the two charges of mine come a little later than now," Kraden said to Piers, filling their glasses with water. They were sitting inside the library where the old man usually found his roost, and Piers had simply smiled at the parallels between here and the past. "So that gives us some time to catch up."

"That it does. Do you want to talk business, or talk personal?" Piers nodded at him and took his glass, sipping the water slowly.

"I imagine this is a little of both." Kraden's expression was serious, yet his eternal curiosity was evident behind his features. "The events at Tundaria and everything following are still unknown to me. Most of the crew weren't convinced with Alex's explanation of your 'betrayal', and naturally I wasn't either. What happened to you there?"

Unconsciously, Piers rubbed at his head. No physical evidence remained of the confrontation all that time ago, yet the faint memory remained. He'd found the documents and blueprints that had been rumored to exist there, but had been unable to keep them from Alex… and he'd paid the price of that failure.

"King Hydros is very good at keeping ahead of everything. Our liege is incredibly intelligent." Piers smiled. "Thus, he'd already heard about Alex and the potential information leak, as well as the rumors of a project based on lost Tundarian technology. The expedition to the frozen waste was already planned, and it would have been too risky to just cancel it in case we lost track of Alex before that. So I was sent there. I just had to get to the technology first."

"What was the technology?" Kraden asked, clearly eager about the subject.

"It's hard to say, really. There were some really old schematics in the place, and I was gathering them up… only to have Alex find me first. I didn't get a chance to read them, though I'm fairly certain they're crucial in this Project Psynergy business."

Kraden nodded. He sat back in his chair, sipping his water and considering the notion. "Alex runs a tight security network in Prox. We've gotten very little out of them save from the very direct intrusions… your escape, for example, and a few raids here and there on their facilities. As such, we still don't know the full scope and intentions of the project. Human augmentation may be the base level… though I wonder how this technology comes into play."

"I wouldn't have a clue." Piers shrugged. "But anyway, I was gathering the schematics, when Alex caught me. He knocked me out, secured everything for himself, claimed to the crew that I was a rogue Agent and was working as an insurgent to hamper Lemurian expansion."

"And you were put into custody and confined to the brig until the return."

"Right." Piers frowned. "Most of this is a complete blur… he had me drugged and delirious for a long time, until we were in Prox. I can only assume that's when he made his move… and he took me with him because of what I'd seen."

Kraden nodded again. "Yes. Upon the arrival back in Lemurian waters, it was discovered that Alex had already gone, with you in tow. Most are still unsure of just how it was done."

"I'm of no use there, either. I guess it'll have to remain a mystery. But anyway… from there, I was placed in confinement in Prox. I wasn't alone… I was made to share a cell with a young girl that they'd abducted from Lalivero." At this point, Piers' expression became somewhat distant. "They were going to use her in the project as a test subject, I think. Since I had to get out, I broke her out with me… she was injured and recaptured on the way out, though."

"Ahhh… I'm sorry to hear that." Kraden sighed. "Sad though it may be, these things do happen at times… we can't always save everyone."

Piers opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He didn't want to have this argument with Kraden now… the old man hadn't been there with Sheba, hadn't had any personal involvement in Project Psynergy aside from the bureaucratic side of things. He wouldn't understand… especially if he was told the truth about the next part.

"Nonetheless… I escaped. I hijacked a supply ship and returned to Lemuria. Upon my return, it was discovered that a shipment of Psynergy bacteria was being stored in the hold. It's being studied and analyzed back in Lemuria now. And I was sent out from there on more business… first to Madra to assess the situation there, and then to here as your liaison."

It was a total lie. Despite the unofficial support granted to him by King Hydros and Lunpa in particular, Piers was still technically unaffiliated with Lemuria. He wasn't one of the King's Agents anymore.

But he was tasked with fighting Project Psynergy however possible, and the best way to do that would be to go straight to the source of the information. Getting backup from 'recruits' was also a good method… despite how bad he felt about lying to Kraden.

A knock on the door interrupted these thoughts, and he looked up to see Kraden nodding to himself. "That would be them now… come right in."

Behind Piers, the door opened to reveal two figures, one male and one female, both of which advanced towards them calmly. Kraden opened his mouth to speak, but then blinked in surprise.

"Who are you two?!" he demanded, and Piers turned to the door.

Saturos smiled at him. "Sorry to intrude, but we're here to kill you."

Both raised their arms in unison as flames rose up around them.

"Piers, what is the meaning of this?" Kraden demanded, standing up and eying the Proxians as they summoned their flames.

"I think I'm being hunted," he replied, throwing the table to the ground and leaping behind it as quickly as he could. "Get down!"

Kraden did as told, taking cover behind the desk beside Piers. Immediately, Saturos and his companion unleashed their flames, each sending a powerful stream at the desk. The room rose in temperature immediately, making Piers curse.

The woman had clearly found Saturos and freed him. He had gotten lucky in besting Saturos the first time, but now he was caught off guard and outnumbered. Even with his Psynergy, this was going to be difficult… if not impossible.

The flame stream stopped abruptly.

"You and your people know far too much about what's going on," Saturos said calmly. He wasn't gloating… it didn't seem in his nature to do so, from what Piers had observed. "Lemuria is, as usual, making a pest of itself and delving into things that doesn't concern it. We have little concern with them right now, but you keep getting in the way on their behalf."

The woman spoke now. "We're here to end your life because of it. But of course, we can make arrangements as to your safety, and that of the old guy you're hiding, if you're willing to just raise your arms and surrender. It would mean, however, coming back to Prox and staying there this time."

"But given that you have Psynergy of your own now," Saturos added, "you may very well find a place for yourself amongst our numbers and actually use those newfound abilities for something interesting… which is far better than serving the outdated Lemurian Empire."

"So what's it going to be? Death or surrender?" The woman sounded almost amused by the proceedings.

Piers was anything but, however… as was Kraden. The older man was looking at him now, his eyebrow raised. The two Proxians had claimed that Piers had Psynergy, which would certainly explain why two augmented individuals had come after him.

"You left something out," Kraden whispered accusingly at him.

"Yes, I did." Piers didn't bother to lie about it. "If we get out of this, I'll explain it all."

"Fine. But how DO we get out of this?"

- - - - -

Isaac stopped moving suddenly, only to have Jenna bump into him softly.

"Hey, what are you stopping for?" she asked, looking at him curiously. "The library is just around the corner."

"…something isn't right here." Isaac met her gaze, his eyes revealing a hint of worry. "Something's out of place."

Jenna raised an eyebrow, studying him closely. That was an odd statement to make, and it could have easily been dismissed as nothing, but she'd long ago learnt to trust her instincts... so she gave Isaac the benefit of the doubt. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated, before looking at the wall for a moment. It wasn't one of the library walls – they were still a short distance away from that room. Still, he studied it for a moment before quickly moving to it and placing his hands on it.

"Get on the ground and brace yourself," he said to Jenna, his voice suddenly calm. "Quick."

Not one to argue, she did as told, lying on the ground and holding on as best as she could to the featureless floor. And no sooner had she done so did the entire world around her begin to twitch… and shudder… and shake violently.

She cried out as the entire building rumbled and shook, looking up at Isaac hurriedly. He remained at the wall, his hands pressed against it tightly. His look was calm, but also… determined. And from his hands came the faint sense of power.

He was causing an earthquake. He was making the entire building shake on its foundations!

And then suddenly, only a few seconds after it had begun, the sense of power was gone and the tremor faded off. Yet the shaking didn't subside immediately for Jenna. She still looked around wildly… until she realized that everything had stopped, and she was the only one shaking now. Her heart was pounding, and her brow was lined with sweat.

Isaac moved away from the now weakened and cracked wall, crouching down beside her and holding a hand to her. "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me… are you alright?"

Jenna didn't respond immediately… she just tried to calm herself. She gripped his hand tightly, as if seeking something solid to ground herself on. The earthquake was over… it was okay… she was panicking for no real reason. She repeated those things over and over in her mind, until finally she calmed.

"Are you alright?" Isaac asked again, a little more worried this time.

"I-I-I'm fine," Jenna responded, stammering a little. She shook her head quickly to straighten it out. "It's just… not something I'm used to… it terrified me, for some reason."

It was probably not the best thing to say. His expression wavered ever so slightly, and she realized that she'd probably nudged his confidence again. "Sorry."

"It's alright…" Jenna got to her feet with his assistance. Her moment of fear has passed, and once more she was in control, though the whole situation was starting to overwhelm her slightly. Something really did seem amiss. "Whatever it was that made you feel out of place probably hasn't subsided. Come on… let's hurry on."

"Right." Isaac nodded and continued on. Jenna followed afterwards, though she didn't let go of his hand.

- - - - -

Piers didn't like the odds. He was one person against two, both of which were prepared for him and possessed Psynergy. Getting out of the room was practically impossible, especially with Kraden in tow. If they didn't answer soon, they'd be killed anyway. And surrendering wasn't a good option anyway, given that Saturos was likely to kill him regardless… but it might be the only possible way to keep living for a few more minutes.

"What do we do?" Kraden demanded quietly.

"I th-" Piers stopped speaking mid-sentence as the ground began to shudder. Without any warning, the shudder increased tremendously, catching everyone in the room completely off guard. Bookshelves rattled and the books themselves fell from the shelves, and several of the other tables tipped over, scattering and breaking the computers they held.

It was all Piers needed. Balancing precariously on the shaking ground, he stood up and thrust his hands towards the two Proxians. Streams of water were conjured from the air around his hands, and they shot forward towards his attackers, freezing and solidifying in mid-air to add force to it.

But the Proxians weren't taken off guard as much as he would have liked. Saturos had dropped to one knee, and Piers' haphazardly aimed Psynergy passed him harmlessly. It didn't pass the woman, however – she was struck solidly in the stomach, and with a cry she was thrust back out the door, striking the wall behind her roughly.

The tremor beneath them subsided, and that gave Saturos the steadiness he needed to unleash his own stream of Psynergy. The flames cleared the distance instantly, forcing Piers to drop down or have his face burnt off. He landed roughly on the ground, his gaze quickly meeting that of Kraden.

Oddly enough, Kraden didn't seem as surprised at the display of power as he could have. But he did seem somewhat confused. "First Mia, now you! Everyone who gives with the Proxians comes back changed!"

"You misunderstand. This augmentation is Lemurian. I'll explain later." Piers would have smiled if the situation allowed it, but instead he got back up into a crouch, making sure to keep behind the cover.

It was a grim situation, but a slightly better one now. The impromptu earthquake, unlikely though it was, had temporarily evened the odds. The Proxian woman was still down, though she was awake and would likely be attacking again in moments. Saturos, no longer as confined as he had been in Madra, would likely be able to beat back Piers easily.

They had to use this window of opportunity to escape.

To their left was one of the library walls. The bookcase that had adorned it had toppled over, revealing a somewhat cracked wall. Raising his hands, Piers willed his abilities into action, forming large ice bricks in his hands. Effortlessly, as if guided by the Psynergy that had spawned them, he threw them at the wall as hard as he could.

Both bricks shattered the wall, forming a large enough break to accommodate them. Taking Kraden's arm, Piers flicked his free hand at the table they were hiding behind. Another stream of water was formed, rapidly forcing the table away and towards their attacker.

That move caught Saturos off guard, and the table struck his knees, tipping him over forward. Flailing somewhat, he managed to unleash a string of quick fireballs in their direction before catching himself on his hands, narrowly avoiding hitting the ground face first.

"Run!" Their cover lost, Piers sprinted for the opening in the wall, still holding on to Kraden to help the older man along as the fireballs passed just wide of them. Bracing himself, he leapt through shoulder first, grazing his back slightly against the broken wall but getting through. Kraden followed without incident, and for the moment they were free of the Proxians.

"We need to get out of here! They came from the main entrance so we'll have to go the long way!" Already, Kraden was considering paths and routes they could take… but Piers had something else in mind.

"Who is this Mia?"

The older man frowned. "She's a young woman that was rescued from the Proxian's Imil base. She was one of their Project Psynergy subjects and has been augmented… with the same abilities you have."

Piers nodded. "Save the escape for later… take me to her now. She's the one you wanted me to transport to Lemuria, right?"

"If that's what you were even going to do." Kraden's tone was disapproving.

"If she has Psynergy, we need her now. If there's more Proxians than just Saturos and that woman, we're in trouble."

With a sigh, Kraden nodded and gestured down a different pathway, leading him deeper into the Elementalist hold.

- - - - -

Isaac turned the corner before immediately skidding to a stop. Jenna was still holding his hand, and she followed suit.

They had expected to see some devastation when they made it to the library. What they hadn't expected was to see a woman sitting with her back against the wall, breathing heavily. She seemed in pain, and was clutching her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Jenna called out. Before she could get an answer, Isaac stepped back slightly, raising his free hand as if to ward something off. It took a moment before Jenna realized why.

The woman was dressed casually and almost minimally, yet she was clearly not from this part of the world. Her skin was incredibly pale and had an almost blue tinge, and her hair was a vibrant red, with a slight purple tinge to it. She was Proxian, no doubt.

And now she looked up at them, quite clearly annoyed. She stood up slowly, bracing herself against the wall. The new vantage revealed that her chest and stomach were covered in light cuts and grazes… and there seemed to be frost sticking to her clothes.

"An earthquake here at this time, how typical…" she muttered to herself, looking them over. Her eyes passed over Isaac briefly before settling on Jenna. Her expression slowly turned from annoyed to curious… as if she noticed something.

And then she thrust her arms forward. Tendrils of flame snaked around them for a moment before they shot forward in a wave of fire, flicking through the air towards them.

Isaac's defence was just as swift. He brought his hand up, and the ground before them cracked and shot upwards, forming a pillar of rock between himself and the Proxian. The flames hit the rock but didn't penetrate, warming the air in the hallway considerably. Instinctively Jenna shied back from the display, though the rock wall held fast.

Behind them, a loud cracking was heard, and both Isaac and Jenna span around to face it. The noise came from back the way they had come, however, and was not immediately visible.

The Proxian woman cursed. "Saturos! We've got a Venus!"

_Venus… the earth users. _Jenna recalled the designation from the information Ivan had shown her. If there was any doubt at all that Isaac was using Psynergy, it was gone now.

"I think the meeting is being called off," Isaac muttered. Jenna nodded, and they both turned and ran the way they had come.

Her heart was racing. It had been such an ordinary day… and an unordinary night. Mysterious powers, meetings with Lemurian Agents, and now assault from Proxian invaders… what on earth was going on? It was starting to overwhelm Jenna. The two years of memories that she still retained had witnessed a lot, but never anything like this. She was strong, but something deep inside her was nudging her, trying to push her over the edge and into despair.

She had to keep going strong, though… something else was pushing her onward. Now wasn't the time to lose it… she'd only hold everyone else back, especially Isaac.

And Jenna was not one to hold anyone back.

These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant… because an instant was all she had given to her. As the pair rounded the corner, Isaac stopped again.

The wall they had just passed only moments ago had collapsed, revealing a large opening that led into the library. From what they could see inside, the place was a mess… bookshelves and desks had been toppled, the books and computers littering the floor everywhere.

More importantly, however, was the other Proxian standing there. This one was male, and his hair was blue, but otherwise he stood out just as much as the woman had. He was limping slightly, but walking towards them.

"He's pinning us in," Isaac muttered. Jenna nodded slightly.

"Alright boy," the man addressed Isaac, looking at him calmly. "You've interrupted my friend and I in our business. Now, you seem pretty young and thus I would show you leniency, but you've still gotten in our way. And with Psynergy no less. This is something I can't allow."

He stopped, still a short distance away from them, and raised a hand at them warily. "I don't know where you learned those abilities, but you're not one of the selected few who should have them. Still, I think you'd best become one of those few if you want to live. Come with me right now. You'll be unharmed, brought to Prox and given a place in the world, and we'll even be nice enough to let her go." He nodded his head towards Jenna. "And then we'll walk on past and continue our business with the correct members of this mostly pointless organization."

Isaac hesitated, and Jenna turned pale. The Proxians were going to take him away. And Isaac would almost certainly go along with it. If he didn't, they'd die.

Jenna didn't really know Isaac too well. They'd spent some time together as Elementalists and they could easily be considered close friends now, but there was still a lot she didn't know. And more he didn't know about her… without going into their lost memories. She couldn't tell for certain if he would go with them, despite how likely it seemed… but she did know one thing.

She didn't want him to. The despair in her mind was intensifying at the thought of him going. He had to stay here. He _had_ to.

Isaac continued to hesitate for a moment, while the Proxian remained impassive, his hand still pointing at them. Finally, he sighed.

"If you don't hurt her, I'll go with you." Very gently, Isaac broke his grip on Jenna's hand and took a step forward.

It was the final straw for Jenna. But despair didn't overwhelm her… desperation did

"NO! I won't you go, Isaac! _I won't let them take you!_" She stepped forward to him again… and in the same motion, her pistol was out of its holster, aimed at the Proxian. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger several times.

He was ready for it. His hand twitched slightly, and flames expanded from his palm in an instant, solidifying and forming a burning wall directly in the path of the energy blasts. All were absorbed into the flames before the wall dissipated.

It gave Isaac the moment he needed to change his plans. He brought his hands up, and yet again he brought the earth upwards into a broad stalagmite. More erupted from the ground around the first, creating a thicker wall than the last time. The corridor was quickly blocked off, sealing them in but keeping the Proxians out.

Jenna slowly lowered her hands, refusing to let the pistol out of her grip. Absently, she realized that her eyes were watering. She closed them and shook her head, refusing to cry. She wasn't going to break down, not now. But it was too much. All of this was just too much. Above all else, Jenna was passionate and emotional, and too much of that had been tested today. Whatever was dredging her despair up had finally beaten her.

She'd had enough. All of this Project Psynergy business had been too draining on her. Slowly, she sank to her knees. "Enough," she muttered to herself, shaking her head again. "Enough! I've had enough!"

Jenna shuddered slightly as she felt something wrap around her, and she opened her eyes. Isaac was crouching in front of her, looking at her worriedly. His arms were wrapped around her in a gentle, comforting embrace

"You didn't have to do that. I could have saved you."

"It's not worth it!" Jenna insisted, shaking her head yet again. Nonetheless, she calmed down slightly, relaxing in the embrace.

"You're a friend worth saving."

"And you're a friend worth not losing. I've had enough of this business, Isaac… I just want to step away from it all. I want to get out of here. And I want..."

She wasn't able to continue. A wave of heat rolled through the hallway, and the stone wall behind them shattered suddenly, bursting into countless shards of stone. Many of them glowed and some had even melted instantly… the heat was incredible.

The Proxian was standing before the ruins, and he didn't stop there. He thrust his hands forward and two serpents of flame shot from them. One struck Isaac solidly in the back, and the other curved around him slightly to strike Jenna in the side. Both cried out and were shoved aside, breaking their embrace.

Still he didn't relent. Ignoring Isaac for now, he took another step forward and let them climb back to their feet. Then he conjured a wall of flames behind Jenna before unleashing another serpent, knocking her through the searing flames and into the solid wall behind her.

Burned and now beaten, Jenna slumped forward. Her whole body was aching… patches of her clothes were smoldering, and she could barely breathe from the force of the impacts to her torso. She coughed slightly, barely able to move.

Another flame serpent, though this time it struck Isaac as he attempted to move to her. "I gave you the chance to come quietly, but no-one ever takes it." The Proxian sighed. "So I'll just kill her and beat you into submission. You're coming to Prox one way or another." He flicked his hand up once more.

Again, the building began to shake, but this time the tremors were far more localized. Absently, Jenna stared up at the ceiling above her, noticing that parts were beginning to burn away. He was going to bring part of the building on top of her.

Wood, stone, and metal began to fall around them both, and Jenna flinched slightly. But she didn't have the strength to move away from the impact site…

Without warning, Isaac was there, crouching close by and holding his own body over hers protectively.

"I won't let you go, Jenna," he murmured, mirroring her own words. "I won't them take you." Despite the situation, his face looked almost peaceful.

"Isaac…"

Before any more could be said, the ceiling collapsed.

- - - - -

Panting heavily, Saturos flexed his fingers, trying to ignore the trace of the headache that was coming back. This was far from the first time that he'd seen Psynergy in action, and yet the applications of it still amazed him. Felix had demonstrated some of the ways of controlling the earth, and yet this very young man had done things in a completely different way with those powers.

Most interesting. It was a shame that he was now buried in what he'd tried to control. He took a step forward, studying the pile. The Elementalist building was large and had a few levels to it… and that localized section was now covering them. The pile was uneven and misshapen, but it seemed fatal. Saturos had misjudged his own abilities… he had hoped only to bury the girl at best, not the entire section of the hall.

Karst stepped through the hole in the wall, where she'd been taking cover during the brief battle. Saturos had been handling it well enough, and she was there for backup as necessary. Her shirt was missing its sleeves now, both of which were wrapped around her midsection as makeshift bandages. "You got him?"

"I can't be sure. That's a lot of rubble… they might have gotten lucky."

She nodded, and glanced the other way down the corridor, the way that Piers and the old man with him had run. "We'd better get after Piers. I don't think these two are going anywhere."

"I agree." Saturos hesitated for a moment before flicking his hand upwards slightly towards the pile. A small column of smoke began to rise… and flickers of flame were seen.

Karst smirked slightly. "A funeral pyre for a brave warrior?"

"They're enemies, and the boy could have been useful. But I respect that they resisted, if nothing else. It's not something everyone can do." Lowering his arm, Saturos walked down the corridor with Karst following close behind as the flames quickly built up.

The hunt wasn't over yet.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **I can hear the screams and wails of some readers from here. I imagine they're going to want my head on a pike for this one. Well, I warned you that this chapter was a little unusual. This may not be the happiest chapter ending, but this story isn't over yet. I'll just leave you here for a while so you can stew over it and wonder… and plot my death.

Then again, I don't kid myself that readers might actually care that much to do that. Ah well. Hope you enjoyed it at least, and hope there's not too many faults here… this is the most fun I've had writing something in a while now, but I am aware that it may be a little off in places. Point them out if you see them, please… I need to know where to improve. Until next time, which hopefully comes just as swiftly.


	17. Coordination

**Author's Notes: **Well, I figured it was going to happen, and it happened. The one fear I've been waiting for from reviewers. It's not criticism - criticism is nothing I can't handle, and I often appreciate the efforts taken to point out areas where I can improve. That's not what happened. Instead, I got a review detailing mostly, if not only, the newly occurring romances. Hate to make an example of you after taking time out to read and review, Flonted, but I must address this.

If you scroll back to Chapter 1, you'll find that three years ago I declared that I probably wasn't going to have romance in the story. Since then, that stance has obviously changed, but the focus in this story is NOT the romance. I don't want people to come and read this story for the sole intents and purposes of getting a fix of their favoured shipping. If they can, that's fine, but readers by now should figure out that that's not what this story is about. Romance has never been a major theme or had much of a purpose in the story… it's nothing more than a tool to flesh out the characters and make them more believable. I hope that's how it's coming across, too – tell me if it's not.

What I'm trying to say is that I can't stop you wanting romance, sure. But now that it's been included in this story, I hope you don't just focus on that and only that, missing out on everything else that I've tried so hard to construct over the years. If you're reading, please don't focus on the romance as the be all and end all of the story, or I'll be incredibly sad and won't update for a long while out of spite… even if most of you are used to that. Just take it as one part of a whole, regardless of whether or not you're interested in the shippings presented. This isn't a romance story, after all.

Okay. I've said my piece, please excuse me. I won't delay you from reading on any further. Enjoy, and keep what I just said in mind, please? I'd appreciate that.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 14: Co-ordination**

Kraden was panting heavily by the time he and Piers reached the basement, and even then he wasn't granted respite as the Lemurian pushed deeper inside.

"At the end of this corridor are the prison cells," he said through his breathes to Piers. "She's held in the sixth door to the right."

Piers nodded, quickly reaching the end of the hallway and moving as fast as he could to the designated door. Apparently the girl inside had heard them approaching, because she stood at the door and looked through the bars at him in confusion.

"You're a new face. What brings you here with Kraden?" The young woman sounded almost hopeful.

"Your life is in danger," Piers responded calmly, looking over at Kraden and making a quick hand gesture. Reluctantly, the older man removed his keys from the clip at his waist and threw them to him.

"Danger? Why would I be in danger?" She glanced at Kraden, frowning at the sight of him. "Apparently I _am_ the danger."

"Kraden believes you to be dangerous, at least until you understand what you're capable of and can control yourself." Piers smiled reassuringly, finding the right key and unlocking the door. "However, for the moment we're in a serious amount of trouble. Thus, your abilities could be incredibly helpful. What's your name?"

"Mia," she replied, clearly uncertain about the sudden change in attitudes regarding her imprisonment. "And you?"

"I'm Piers." He maintained his smile, but didn't open the door immediately.

Absently, Mia reached for the door handle, but yelped upon touching it and quickly backed away. She stared at the doorknob, seeing the icy sheet that had surrounded it.

"And like you, I can do things that most humans can't." Now Piers opened the door. "Now, I'm going to let you out of here. However, as I said, we're in a serious amount of trouble right now. I'll explain everything when we get out of here, but for now I need your trust and your assistance. Can you give that to me?"

She considered the option, weighing it up for a moment. It didn't take more than one before she nodded, stepping into the hallway slowly. Kraden glanced at her, sighing slightly.

"I do apologize for locking you up," he offered, "but it was dangerous for you and everyone around you to expose abilities like that. We're trying to fight the people who did this to you, but some might have considered you to be one of them. Hence why I had you put down here – for your safety."

Mia nodded, though her expression clearly showed that she didn't completely believe him. "If you say so… but what's going on to get you both running around crazily like this?"

"The people that did this to you are after me and everyone else in this building," Piers said without hesitation. "We ran here for two reasons – the first is to help you, because when they discover your presence they'll capture or kill you without hesitation. The second is to get your help, because the only way to really beat them is with our abilities."

Something in his voice gave it away to her, because Mia nodded. "Proxians are here, right?"

Piers nodded. "There are two of them, both with abilities similar to ours. However, they use fire… we use water. So if we work together, we can beat them." He looked back the way they came and quickly walked in that direction, gesturing for Mia to come as well.

He stopped in front of a tap. And then he grinned. "They'll probably be here soon, so let's get started…"

- - - - -

A dream? Or… was it her end?

Whatever it was, it was consuming Jenna very quickly. There was heat all around her, suffocating her with the immense warmth that permeated everything. Still, she couldn't let that stop her… something was going on at the vague edge of her memory, of her consciousness, and she had to get up and keep moving.

But there was darkness all around her. Absently, she realized that she was standing already. The pains that she was supposed to be feeling was faint… a distant pulse as opposed to the overpowering sensations that they should have been. She began to look around trying to remember.

_Trying to remember… that's all you've ever done…_

The thought came unbidden, and Jenna stopped. It hadn't been spoken, it had been in her mind… yet it wasn't as if it was her own voice. This was becoming bizarre… where was she? What had happened?

_You still don't remember… your entire past forgotten… and your future linked to it…_

Where were these thoughts coming from?

Jenna gasped suddenly, knowing without truly realizing why that Isaac was in danger. "Isaac! Isaac, where are you? Are you okay?" she continued to look around, but there was nothing except the inky blackness. She could barely even see herself when she looked down, as if her body was obscured by fog.

_You've lost another one… maybe you should remember the first… it might help you find the second…_

Now she was truly confused. What was she thinking? What was going on? Where was she? It must have been a dream… yet she couldn't remember what had happened that lead to the dream. Jenna closed her eyes and forced herself to focus, recalling.

A battle… she'd been hurt, and then… and then Isaac had been there. His words had soothed her, filled her with warmth… right before everything had gone black.

Worry filled her as it all came back. The Psynergy battle, the Proxian in the building… he'd dropped the ceiling on them. Had she… died? Was this where she was now? This inky blackness and the nameless voice…

Was she dead?

The worry turned to panic and she started running, hoping to see anything in this empty wasteland. She needed to find something here, anything at all, to identify it. This couldn't be the end. It couldn't be death. Not now… not when Isaac had just…

"Isaac! Isaac! You have to be out here!" Her calls were desperate, but she pressed on, hoping desperately to see his face appear in the darkness. The memory returned of her fear, her despair, the unexplained and overwhelming sensations she'd encountered. All triggered by Isaac… or rather, all triggered because she'd nearly lost him.

_You're not thinking far back enough… he's not the first, he's the second… but you reacted that way because of the first…_

A faint light appeared in the distance. Jenna blinked and stopped, staring directly at it, hoping it wasn't a trick. But the light remained, and she sprinted towards it with renewed vigor. Clearly, features came into focus, a defined shape and slight colours… it wasn't just light, it was a person.

"Isaac!" she called out to the figure, relief starting to flood her. But it was short-lived… because only steps later, she realized that it wasn't him.

Isaac's hair wasn't as long, or as brown… his body wasn't quite as muscular or as broad… and he definitely was someone that Jenna remembered. This person was someone she couldn't identify.

_That's it… you still remember the first…but there's more to remember… think harder now… you can't lose this memory again…_

More details came into focus. The man was about Isaac's age, but he wasn't looking her way, so she couldn't see his face. The clothes were different was well… yet he had a hauntingly familiar feel about him. She knew him.

But who was he?

Slowing down slightly, Jenna continued to move towards him. Her worry remained unchallenged… was this person hostile? Would he attack her if she came too close? Just why was he so familiar?

_You know who he is… he was very close to you... someone who you've been searching for…_

And then he was gone. His figure vanished, and once more everything was the total blackness. Jenna looked around desperately to try and find him again, but to no avail. Nothing was there.

"What's going on?!" she demanded at last, addressing the voice that seemed to echo through her.

_Your time is up… you'd best return now if you want to find the first again…_

A name suddenly appeared in her mind, and she gasped.

"Felix…"

_Jenna!_

Pain shot through her. She gritted her teeth and flinched as her entire body erupted in pain. The faint flickers in her mind expanded, and she realized just how badly she hurt. Several parts of her body were in serious pain, and the heat hadn't subsided from her dream world.

More than anything else, though, Jenna's eyes were hurting. It took a moment before she realized they were clenched shut. Slowly, she relaxed and opened her eyelids, looking around quickly. The moment she did so, she could feel her arm being shaken gently. She winced and flinched back from the touch, cursing silently at how sensitive her body felt.

"Jenna! You're okay!"

She didn't feel okay, but nonetheless, Isaac's familiar voice soothed her mind slightly, and she nodded. She was alive… and if she wasn't, at least he was there too, to keep her company. Slowly, she groaned and turned her head upwards, realizing that she was lying on her back.

Isaac's face looked down on her, worry and relief mixing to create a strange expression. He was sitting beside her, quickly withdrawing his hand from her arm. Jenna forced a smile, but then slowly moved her eyes and looked beyond him towards the roof.

They were buried by rubble. That much was immediately clear. The roof had collapsed and they should have been swamped and surrounded entirely… yet for some strange reason, it all seemed suspended above them, held up by some unseen force. Jenna frowned… had it fallen in such a way to contain itself? That couldn't be… the Elementalist building was largely brick and stone, so smaller chunks of rubble shouldn't have been trapped like that.

Still, the rubble remained wedged above them… and the area seemed to exude warmth, far warmer than what Jenna was used to within the building. With a start, she realized that the area was fully lit too… despite the lack of discernable light sources, the rubble was not impeding their sight in any way.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, her voice a little raspy as if she'd been breathing in too much dust.

"I don't know anything more than you do," Isaac replied quietly, glancing around him. Jenna moved her head slightly to follow his gaze, and noticed that the rubble had stopped falling on all sides, keeping the pair of them safely cocooned. In some places, she could even see fires moving and expanding, yet the heat didn't seem to waver as they did.

"Did…" Jenna looked at him, frowning slightly. "Did I pass out?"

Isaac nodded. "When the roof fell, everything went quiet for a moment. I thought I'd died… but then realized that there was no impact. It all stopped falling around us as if there was a circular cover over our heads. Yet you were unconscious anyway… I imagine from all the blows." He frowned, studying her carefully. "Are you okay?"

Despite the pain that clearly stated otherwise, she nodded. The despair that she'd slipped into had faded… Isaac was here with her, and wasn't going anywhere. He'd protected her, just like he'd said.

"I'm sore, but I'll be fine." Jenna gave him a weak smile, and he returned it. "I guess I owe you my life for this…"

Isaac's smile faltered. "I didn't do this… it doesn't seem like anything I could do. If I was going to shield us, it would have been using stone."

She looked at him, confused, and her mind began to wander. "But then… what? I couldn't have done anything like that… I was unconscious."

"I don't know either," Isaac said, sighing. "I guess it doesn't matter… you're alive, that's the important thing." He studied her once more, and Jenna wondered if she looked beat up at all. "We need to get out of here though… we should get you to a doctor."

"No, don't… I'm okay." Her usual determination was returning, and now Jenna had no desire to hold him back any longer. She sat up, gasping suddenly as pain shot through stomach and forced her to lie back down. The blows from the Psynergy hadn't really burnt her, but they were still tougher than any punch could be.

"No you're not." Isaac placed a hand lightly on her stomach to keep her down, and Jenna instinctively shuddered, though it was more from surprise at the touch than from pain. "You don't need to overdo this. I'm not letting you go, just like I said, so we're at least getting you somewhere safe to rest."

Too battered to really argue and in no mood to counter him, of all people, Jenna nodded slowly. "Alright… fine. How do we get out of here? What do you suggest?"

He didn't speak, but instead he gently slid an arm beneath her knees and neck, pulling her to him as if cradling a child. Her instinctive reaction was to pull away, but she forced that back, knowing that he wasn't going to do anything to her. For a moment, Isaac held her close, shielding her like he had when the rubble collapsed.

If anything, it was felt pleasant. Inwardly, Jenna was smiling… he was acting a lot more gentleman-like than his calm exterior would normally let on. It was somewhat endearing of him… the way he wanted to help her, to protect her. Jenna was very much a woman who liked to do things herself and not get in the way of others, but knowing that he was going to be there to help regardless of what she did made her feel… happy.

The moment passed, and Isaac stood up.

And as he did so, all the rubble around them shifted, as if being forced back further. The noise instinctively made Jenna cling to him, her arms locking around him as if once more seeking his protection. But the sound faded quickly.

"Everything above us just got pushed up when I stood up," Isaac observed, frowning. "It didn't do that earlier when I stood… only when I lifted you."

"You're suggesting I'm doing it," Jenna said, her voice emerging quietly. She released her arms from him, blushing slightly from the act.

"I don't know what else it could be." He didn't notice, or if he did, didn't draw attention to it. "By all rights we should be dead, yet there seems to be a kind of shield around us. I've seen some weird things lately, and I'm willing to accept just about anything right now."

"But how could it be me?" she asked.

"I don't know. But we can cross that bridge later… for now, let's just get out of here."

Isaac took a step forward tentatively. Once again, the rubble seemed to shift as he did so, falling behind him and cascading off the invisible wall that was protecting them. As well, the rubble that blocked their way forward was pushed to the sides somewhat. He took another step, and the process repeated itself.

Then there was a tremendous cracking sound, and Jenna gasped. The rubble above them slipped slightly… not away as the others had, but _down_ a few inches. Their protection seemed to be wavering.

"Did you see that?" she asked Isaac quickly, pointing up.

"I saw…" He frowned, and took another two steps. The rubble shifted again, exposing a small source of light beyond the debris that signaled their way out.

The ominous crack repeated itself, and this time their makeshift roof descended another few inches. And then another… it was starting to fall.

"Run!" Jenna yelled, bracing herself as best as possible against him. Isaac did as bade, quickly running ahead as the rubble was bashed out of their way. In moments, the hallway was clear for them again and they breached the wall of detritus… just as the roof truly collapsed.

The weight of the debris was incredibly large, and the floor shook with such force that it reminded them of the earthquake all over again. Isaac lost his balance and fell, but he quickly turned his body around and struck the floor on his back, shielding Jenna as best as he could. The effect wasn't lost on her, but she pushed that aside and quickly looked up at his face.

"We made it… are you alright?"

He nodded absently, sitting up and wincing. "Fine… nothing I can't handle. You?"

"You spared me any more pain." She smiled at him appreciatively. "If you could get us out of here, you'd really be in my debt."

"I'm on it." Isaac smiled a little and stood up carefully before moving on down the hallway. It quickly became apparent that the pair of Proxians had been here – scorch marks and dead bodies littered the path back towards the main entrance of the building. But there were no impediments in their way. They'd be able to get out.

Jenna quickly put that out of her mind and wondered where they could go next. The Elementalists were compromised, but they were just a front for Lemuria anyway. Whether or not the Agent in the building survived, this place wasn't really good for them anymore.

Jenna, for the immediate future, wanted nothing more than somewhere safe to rest and recover from the night's ordeal. She and Isaac had both come so close to death, and neither truly knew by what force they were still living. If they were to continue fighting Project Psynergy, they could wait for a while and see what happened first.

She voiced those opinions to Isaac, who nodded. "Yeah, I think for now my first priority is making sure you're safe. The rest can wait."

In no time at all they had made it to the front entrance, returning to the streets of Alhafra once more.

It was almost like going home… but Jenna absently wondered if she could even have a home as long as this continued.

- - - - -

Kidnapping… being held hostage… being rescued by Ivan… finding her incredible powers… being imprisoned once again by Kraden and his Elementalists… the events of the past few weeks had been so sudden to Mia. She was supposed to be a psychologist in training… yet here she was, on the other side of Weyard from home, preparing to fight using abilities straight out of a science fiction movie.

She couldn't say it wasn't a little exciting… but it was still incredible. Maybe _she _was the one who needed to see a psychologist when this was all over.

"Alright, that should do it." Piers left the water running from the tap despite his words, and Mia lowered her arms, relaxing. Her head was aching slightly from all the exertions – she'd hardly had any chance to use the abilities, or Psynergy as Piers had called it, that she'd been granted prior to this moment. As such, it didn't take much effort from her before she felt drained.

Kraden was standing off to one side, watching as the two had prepared for this encounter with curiosity. Something in his eyes seemed to sparkle, which Mia took to mean that they were doing something right.

"What next?" Mia asked, wiping her brow.

"It'll take a bit of time to channel this properly," Piers said, looking around the hallway at their handiwork. "Do you think you could do that?" He looked her over, noting how much more tired she seemed to be.

"I probably could… but a lot is riding on it, so maybe I should defer to you." She bowed her head slowly, acting polite. Given that this man had freed her from her confinement, she found herself acting incredibly politely on instinct. Being polite had always been in her nature, though.

"That's okay. Do you think, then, that you could hold them off until it's all ready?"

Mia nodded. "I can. Just tell me when."

"Be careful," Kraden said quietly. He seemed much nicer to her now that their survival was potentially resting on her shoulders.

She moved calmly back to the hallway that led out of the dungeons, her feet padding through the water that was now littering this part of the dungeon. A small section of her mind was telling her to run away right now and seek freedom, but she pushed that aside. Piers had let her free, so it was best that she returned the favor.

She stood in the doorway, looking down the hall towards the stairs. The moment she did so, two pairs of feet stepped down, proceeding down the hallway towards her.

"They're coming!" she hissed at Piers, and he nodded and immediately got to work with his Psynergy. Mia turned back and faced the two Proxians, studying them as best as she could from the distance.

One was a tall male, and the other was a medium-sized female… both had pale skin, while the male had blue hair and the female red. They carried energy blades, though for the moment they were switched off. Both seemed to stop as they saw her standing there.

"Hold on. Isn't that… _her_?" The woman frowned, glancing at her male counterpart before looking back to Mia.

"I think it is." He smiled. "Well, well… I think it was a good thing we came here. And to think you were hiding here all this time…"

Mia frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"We don't know each other personally, but I have heard of you." The man took a few steps forward. "You're somewhat important to our operations, you know. However, since I've already had enough of offering surrenders to insolent whelps tonight, I think I'm just going to knock you out and bring you with us."

He raised his hand, and it was immediately cocooned with flames. As he did so, however, Mia could feel water cascading around her feet unbidden. She raised her own hands and thrust them towards him.

As the Proxian unleashed tendrils of fire at her, she reacted in turn by drawing the water around her into the air and unleashing it back at him. The two Psynergy blasts connected and nullified each other, with the water falling harmlessly to the ground between them.

"Huh… she's already aware of it." The woman smiled and raised her own hands. "This should be a little more fun."

The next wave of flaming whips was unleashed by the both of them, and Mia frowned before flicking her hands up. The water pooling around her rose and formed a wall in front of her, and the flames connected with it solidly. The wall was shattered instantly, the remaining water falling back in a deluge over Mia, but the flames stopped short again.

Shaking her head to get her now saturated hair from her face, Mia yelled and thrust her hands forward again. Instantly she was much drier as the water flicked through the hallway at the two Proxians, forming into icy blades.

Yet this time the woman mimicked Mia's actions, bringing a wall of flame to bear between them. The ice melted upon contact with the flames, and the wall was brought down just as more blasts of flame shot through the air. Unable to counter with her own Psynergy in time, Mia gasped and threw herself to the side.

The hallway wasn't very wide, but it was just wide enough. The fire blasts passed by within inches as she pressed up against the edge of the passage, burying themselves in the wall behind where she had stood just moments ago.

"Mia! Now!" It was Piers, and not a moment too soon – both of her opponents were preparing their next attacks. Quickly, she ran back into the dungeon block and darted to the left, away from where Piers and Kraden were.

The moment she did so, a massive wall of water poured down the passageway, turning through the door she'd just come through before raging towards the Proxians. Beyond the water was Piers, who was controlling the flow of the flood. Quickly, Mia added her own Psynergy to the mix, helping him control it.

Barely audible over the rushing torrent, Mia could hear the woman yell out in fear as both Proxians ran for it, rushing up the stairs as fast as they could. Then the raging flow of water struck the stairway solidly before pushing up to the level above, hopefully washing away the Proxians in the process.

Shortly after, the flood subsided, and Mia slowly kneeled down on the ground, panting heavily. Her headache was intensifying now, but she was laughing nonetheless – these powers of hers were incredible!

She'd always been somewhat quiet and unassuming in her life, so the possibility that she might be capable of doing something special with herself had never seemed likely. Yet this was truly incredible. The danger to her life, for the moment, wasn't even occurring to her.

Moments later, Piers kneeled before her, smiling just as she was. "That should drive them off for the moment. Are you alright?"

Mia nodded, standing up quickly. "I'm fine… they didn't get me."

"Good. Thank you, this wouldn't have been possible without you." Piers stood too, and then turned to Kraden. "We need to get out of here and back to the docks. Can you lead us out?"

The older man nodded slowly and moved to the next passageway. His expression was incredulous, as if he could barely believe what he'd just seen. The two of them had created and held back a huge amount of water, freezing it in place so that it was of no danger to them, and then had unfrozen it to strike their enemies… it was absolutely incredible.

"I'm going back to my boat," Piers continued to Mia. "Once we get out of here, I'll let you go if you want. However… I'm fighting these guys on the behalf of the empire of Lemuria, and quite frankly I need all the help I can get. So, do you want to come along? I'll be able to explain everything about your abilities to you, as well."

When Kraden had put her down here, Mia had immediately regarded her strange powers as a burden, a curse that was keeping her far from home and away from everything she cared about. Seeing just what she could do had awoken the possibilities of her powers, however, and Piers' appeal held a considerable interest to her.

"What do you say?" Piers asked.

"I'll go with you," Mia replied, without hesitation.

"Good." Piers smiled. "Welcome aboard. Let's get out of here before we talk any more on the matter though, okay?"

"Okay." He immediately went moving after Kraden, and Mia followed after just as quickly. Her life was certainly becoming interesting…

- - - - -

Karst groaned, coughing slightly. She was lying face down on the ground, completely saturated and aching slightly from the force of the impacts. Slowly, she pulled herself onto her hands and knees, coughing again to free any water from her throat.

What the hell was _that_?! How had they made Psynergy do something like that?

She took a few deep breaths, and then pushed herself up so she was balanced on her knees. The entire hallway and all the surrounding rooms seemed to be soaked completely, though it eventually gave way to dryness again. There was only so long that that wave could last.

Still, she didn't even recognize where she was now… getting carried away by the flood had messed up her sense of direction completely. Wherever it was, she'd been carried out of and some distance away from the basement.

Karst sighed heavily. They'd been beaten… that probably bought them the time they needed, and now she was in pain and far too fatigued to really continue fighting. Perhaps Saturos would…

She stopped. Where _was _Saturos? Surely she hadn't lost him…

She stood up quickly and looked around again. He wasn't in this hallway with her… but he couldn't have gone far. Quickly she began to check the nearby rooms, wondering if he'd been dragged in there.

After turning up nothing in the first three rooms, Karst sighed with relief when she turned into the fourth and saw Saturos on the ground, sitting down while propped up against a shelf. Her relief didn't last for long though.

"Oh great…" she bit her lip and moved to his side. Saturos was awake, though he looked pretty badly beaten up. He was clutching his left arm tightly, which looked bent out of sorts, and a large gash on his forehead was leaking blood beside his right eye. Apparently the wave hadn't been gentle on him.

"Good… you're okay." Saturos coughed, looking her over with his one open eye. "You got lucky."

"How bad is it?" Karst asked him, ripping off the sleeve of his good arm in order to fashion a crude sling for him.

"I'll live. Nothing internal by the feel of it… I just got knocked around a lot. A broken arm, nothing more." He stretched his legs almost absently, as if this was nothing. "I can still walk."

"Good, but I don't think we'll be fighting anymore. We're beaten. We should get out of here in case they try and finish us off… if we're lucky they're just planning to run away."

"Yeah… this wasn't exactly a critical mission anyway, so no-one will mind if we just walk away." Saturos winced as Karst tightened the sling, nodding at her handiwork.

"Of course." Karst kneeled beside him and put his good arm over her shoulder, slowly standing with him. Once they were on their feet, Saturos removed his arm, apparently still okay to travel.

Without another word, they stepped out of the room and began moving to the nearest exit. Saturos seemed to have some idea of where he was going, but Karst took point nonetheless just in case someone got between them. By now, however, any remaining Elementalists had run for it. Between the earthquake, their invasion, and the massive surge of water, Karst doubted that any of them were left in the building now.

After a few minutes, they opened a door and were greeted with a dark alleyway. They'd found a way out. Satisfied, Karst lead Saturos out of the building and behind the nearest cover she could find before retrieving her communicator.

Her signal was sent, and Felix responded within seconds.

"Gaia."

"This is Magma, Rogue is with me."

"What happened? You don't sound too good."

Could he tell somehow? Karst doubted that her voice gave away much if anything.

"We invaded the building, apparently the headquarters of a hacker group called the Elementalists that was lending its support to Lemuria. Piers was there. We tried to get him, but he had support from the Mercury subject that was freed from Imil a few weeks ago."

There was silence on the other end, save for what sounded like a boat engine. "I see. I guess he got away?"

"They washed us up," Karst said with a faint laugh. "I'll explain later. But we're going to need evac soon."

"Understood. I'm en route now, and I should arrive sometime tomorrow if I keep going through the night. Can you get to shelter until then?"

"We should be okay." Karst glanced at Saturos, who nodded. "Rogue has a broken arm though, so he'll need medical attention, preferably from a Proxian facility so that no questions are asked. Can you get a message through to someone about that?"

"Alright." Felix's voice now sounded concerned, but he held it in. He had faith in his mentor, after all. "And how about you, Magma?"

Karst smiled slightly, feeling almost warm at his words. How sweet of him to care. "Only a few cuts and bruises here, so nothing to worry about. Just get here as quickly as possible and we'll be all the better."

"Understood. Be careful, you two… Gaia out."

The signal ended, and Karst pocketed her communicator.

"Felix is growing up quickly," Saturos said quietly with an almost wistful tone. It made Karst consider just how much like family the young outsider had been to him.

"He sure is. We can talk about how tall he's going to be as a big boy when we're somewhere more secure though." Karst grinned and stood, helping him up again.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here." And they quickly vanished into the Alhafran night.

- - - - -

A pleasant memory of home graced Garet's mind that morning. Mostly, it was a view of the house that he had lived in at Madra in the years that they had been there, with his parents and siblings all going about their business happily. A simple scene… though one that he wasn't likely to see for some time.

Though why were all four of them making that loud knocking noise?

Garet blinked suddenly, his vision somewhat clouded, but it didn't take him long to picture where he was. This was his small room in the hotel at Daila where he was staying at. He'd been dreaming of home again… quickly, he put that out of his mind, telling himself that no day at home was like that and Aaron was _always_ doing something chaotic. He yawned and stretched to wake up his muscles, slowly sitting up in his bed.

The movement brought him face-to-face with Feizhi who was sitting cross-legged at the end of his bed with a smirk.

"What the-!" Garet yelled, leaping back involuntarily. What was Feizhi doing in here? He'd been given his own room while Hama and her apprentice had taken the larger two-person room for themselves, yet he was the only one with a key. "How did you get in here?!"

"Good morning sleepyhead," Feizhi replied, ignoring the question and smiling broadly. "Sorry to wake you, but you honestly sleep far too much and I couldn't let that happen."

Glancing out the window to his left, Garet blinked in surprise when he realized that it was still dark outside. The only noise was the gentle crashing of the waves from the not-too-distant beach that made Daila an incredibly popular travel spot.

"It's not even sunrise," he protested hoarsely, turning back to face her. He noticed that Feizhi was completely dressed in blue casual attire, though she wore what looked like a purple combat vest over the top of her shirt. A headband wrapped itself around her forehead, more as a concealed bandage for her cut than any fashion accessory.

"Like I said, too much sleep. Sunrise isn't something you miss." Feizhi shrugged. "Besides, I have morning practice to attend to, and I could use some company. Care to come along?"

Well, he was already up, and probably too much to get back to sleep too easily…

"I guess so," Garet replied. "Just give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be with you."

Feizhi smiled and nodded, quickly moving from the edge of his bed and stepping out of the hotel room. "I'll be right here when you're ready."

Yawning, Garet quickly removed his pajamas and put on regular clothes. He was about to leave, but then he hesitated… very quickly, he moved back to his bedside table and retrieved the pistol from there, holstering it. Nowadays, he felt naked without it, even if they weren't likely to be in any trouble here.

After leaving Madra, they had spent a few days traveling across the continent to reach Daila. As a precaution, they'd sold their car upon arrival, making sure that its ultimate destination was overseas. Given that they didn't have the Psynergy containers anymore, it didn't seem likely that any Proxians would go after them.

That's what Garet tried to tell himself, at least. But after he'd unleashed his own Psynergy and Hama had revealed hers… well, it seemed likely that they'd be blacklisted.

Especially given how quickly the news had spread about the incident… he shivered slightly, recalling the feelings he'd experienced when the first thing he saw on the news was a follow-up report regarding the destruction of the police headquarters. These people weren't to be messed with.

He stepped outside, and Feizhi smiled… only to immediately turn serious. "Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing." Garet shook his head. Apparently his expression had said otherwise. Nonetheless, he brushed it off, trying not to worry about it.

And as expected, Feizhi wasn't convinced. The girl had a thousand different personality archetypes and they all seemed to switch on a whim – anything from friendly and cheerful to incredibly determined to inexplicably angry. Right now she seemed to have switched to concerned, though traces of her smile still lingered.

"If you say so… come on, let's get to the beach quickly or we'll miss it." She placed a hand on his shoulder and lead him quietly through the corridor, quickly passing through the reception area and out into Daila itself.

The town wasn't incredibly large… it was a good sized community, yes, but it still lacked much of the scale that places like Madra and Alhafra possessed. It was very much a farming town, with countless farms of all sorts around the outskirts of town. Daila was, by itself, one of the largest providers of food to this part of Weyard.

It also served as a resort town due to its proximity to many naturally beautiful spots, including one of the best beaches in the world. It was here that their hotel was built onto, and it was here that Feizhi quickly lead him to.

Garet looked over at the sand, seeing beyond it to the vast East Ocean ahead of him. They'd arrived just in time, by the looks of it. He looked down the beach to the east, watching as the sky turned pink just above the horizon.

He couldn't deny that it was a pretty sight. The darkened sky overhead faded into the same pink colour as the horizon shifted into orange. The sun appeared gradually at the edge of his sight, illuminating the world below.

It was refreshing to see, somehow. No matter what the Proxians were doing elsewhere in the world, the sunrise would always be untouchable.

Feizhi watched the sunrise for a moment, smiling. The she turned away and looked to the north, focusing on a point in the ocean. She spaced her legs apart slightly and tilted her torso to the side, reaching her arm over her head. She held the pose for a moment before tilting the other way while stretching the other arm. Garet glanced at her.

"Stretching?"

"Any kind of training should be preceded by stretching. It wakes up the muscles and gets them ready for what's coming so you aren't stiff and sore all day. You should try it." She smiled at him.

Garet glanced at the sunrise for another moment, then shrugged and stood beside Feizhi, attempting to mimic her gestures as best as possible. At first it was easy, but a few minutes later the stretches she attempted became far tougher. By the time she was doing splits on the ground, he gave up entirely.

"Well, you've proved that you're far more flexible than me," he said with a shake of his head, standing up properly. Despite the fact that her workout probably hadn't even begun, Garet was already tiring somewhat… though his muscles _did_ feel more relaxed.

"It takes a lot of practice," Feizhi said comfortingly, standing up again. "I've been doing this kind of stuff for years to get like this."

Garet nodded. "How'd you get started with this? And how exactly did Hama become your master?"

"Well… we both come from Angara, like you." She smiled, though looked up at the pink sky as if recalling it all. "My father is a martial arts teacher in Xian. Naturally I got involved in that from a young age, but I always wanted to be better… the one style wasn't enough, so when I was about eleven, he took me to see a special martial arts teacher at a place called Fuschin."

"I guess that was Hama?" Feizhi shook her head, and Garet frowned. "Then who?"

"It was Hama's own master that we had expected to see… yet he died just a few days prior to our arrival." She sighed. "It was a sad time. He was an old man, and had supposedly mastered most of the martial arts styles in his lifetime. He'd been passing it on to Hama, when he died of old age. Hama was very upset at this, naturally."

"I see… what happened then?"

"Well, my father and I stayed in Fuschin for a few days to pay our respects and see what we could do. Just before we were going to return, Hama came to us and offered to train me. Her own training was incomplete, though, so she said that she'd be traveling around the world to find her own ways of completing it. And for whatever reason, she wanted her own apprentice to have with her on that trip."

"So she chose you?" Garet asked.

"Yes. My father's style was not one that she knew… so in a way, we both taught each other." Feizhi smiled. "It was a good training tool in its own way… not only did I learn, but I learnt how to teach. So for the last six years or so we've been together, traveling the world."

Garet nodded, impressed. That seemed like quite an undertaking… for the both of them. Then he laughed. "I didn't realize that police taught their own martial arts."

She chuckled. "There's many more things to learn in the world than just fighting styles, Garet. Spending time as police officers gave us investigative abilities, weapons training, and plenty of real world experience."

Feizhi paused a moment, her expression gradually becoming serious again. "Perhaps too much experience. Now we've gotten involved in this Psynergy business."

"What better way to prove yourself as the most perfectly trained humans in Weyard than to deal with this issue?" Garet asked jokingly.

She laughed. "I suppose. We're not perfectly trained though… we never will be. There is always a way to improve, always something more to learn, and always something more that can be done with your life." She turned to him, with a shrug. "It keeps life interesting if nothing else... the eternal pursuit of perfection, even if we know it can never be reached."

"I guess so." He had never been one to philosophize on anything like that… he just lived his life as it came without ever looking too far ahead. He always figured that he was still young and that he could worry about that later.

Between Feizhi's words and the constant lingering of the Proxians, though, he was starting to wonder just how long that could last.

Absently, Feizhi began to rub her forehead, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Garet asked.

She opened her mouth to answer, but then without warning, she shut her eyes tightly and sank to her knees on the ground, clutching at her temples. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as if something was constricting her.

Immediately, Garet was kneeling before her, trying to figure out what was happening. "Feizhi! Hey, come on, what's going on here?" Try though he might, there was nothing visible causing the attack.

Her eyes flashed open again and she stared directly into Garet's eyes for one brief moment.

"I'm okay… just… don't…" And then she toppled backwards, fading into unconsciousness. Her breathing returned to normal.

Garet blinked, not quite sure what had just happened. Everything had moved so fast… he crouched beside Feizhi and shook her arm, trying to make her wake up. Her pulse was fine and her breathing steady… she'd just fallen unconscious. So what had happened?

"Hang on… I'll get you back to Hama, she'll know what to do…" Carefully, Garet picked her up and returned to the hotel as quickly and gently as he could.

What in Weyard was going on?

- - - - -

**Author's Note: **I didn't get the chance to say this given the size of the first Author's Note, but… wow. I'm on a roll. I honestly didn't expect to keep posting these as quickly as I have been. Maybe I might get this story finished in my natural lifetime after all. Anyway, I ask that all the readers keep what I said before in mind regarding the romances. They're not the whole story, just a very small part of it. Thanks for reading thus far, and hopefully I'll be back just as swiftly for the next one. Though do tell me if I'm sacrificing quality for speed here… I wouldn't want that, and something about these chapters haven't been sitting right with me.


	18. Emotion

**Author's Note:** Just so everyone is aware, I wasn't making a fuss about people liking the romances or anything. I was making a big fuss about receiving a review that ONLY mentioned the romances and not a word about the rest of the story – the _majority_ of the story – as if that was all there was to it. I'd just rather not have that happen again. Sorry if that wasn't very clear or whatever.

Now. I had first expected this chapter to come sooner... but then I changed a few things, and suddenly I had a whole lot more scenes that I wanted to write. Unfortunately, due to a really hectic life, I didn't get the chance to write all of them. And since November is going to be even busier (I'm entering NaNoWriMo again, wish me luck), I felt that I needed to get a chapter out of the way. So. This chapter would have been even longer had I had the chance, but I didn't. Very sorry, but hopefully the quality of this one isn't damaged too much. Anyway, I'll let you read on.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 15: Emotion**

Mia had forced herself to stop questioning everything some time ago. She could find no answers anymore, regardless of how much she questioned, and thus she just accepted and followed as best as she could.

Thus it was now as she followed the Lemurian named Piers through the streets of Alhafra at a swift pace. She had barely walked in days, let alone ran, so her entire body burned from the exertion that she was being put through. The streets flew by at a blur, and all she could do was just keep going and not think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.

Behind her, she was vaguely aware of the slight cursing of her previous captor, Kraden. The older man was keeping up remarkably well for his age, but he was clearly objecting to the pace that Piers was setting. What choice did they have, though? The Proxians they had faced possessed that strange Psynergy power, and there was no telling what they were capable of as a result.

But then, Mia was capable of similar abilities, as was Piers. She imagined that they'd be safe from them if they could just put some distance between them and then get out of the city.

Piers slowed down suddenly, dropping to a jogging speed, and Mia quickly followed suit. He dropped back to her level, looking over her quickly. "I have a ship here, that was going to be used to take you and two others that Kraden had found to Lemuria. However, I'm only unofficially working with Lemuria, so I'm not obliged to do just that."

Behind them, Mia could hear Kraden mumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'traitor'.

"Obviously you've been affected more than most in this whole Psynergy affair," Piers continued quietly, "so I don't think it's in your best interest to just go home. They may find you again, and really... could you go back to your old life so quickly knowing what's happened?"

Mia hesitated at that, then shook her head. "It'd be kind of difficult," she admitted. "I mean... held prisoner by two different groups over something like world domination? It's not something you can just forget."

Piers smiled. "You say it so lightly."

"I'm making an effort not to think too much into it." Mia kept a straight face, and tried as best as she could to keep the turmoil in her mind in the background. She had studied the mind and its workings for most of her teenage life and was now working in the field... she could control herself. She could handle all this, and when the time was right, then she'd let it out and break it down to pieces so it could bother her no longer.

She would persevere.

"That's probably the best thing you can do. But anyway... I don't think it would be best for you to go home. But I'm quite happy to take you somewhere else. You could go to Lemuria if you want - I imagine King Hydros would have an interest in you, and you could work to help against the Proxians and their plans. I could take you anywhere else in the world if you wanted to hide out or do something like that. Or... you could come with me and assist on my travels. Not as many perks as working for Lemuria, but you get much more freedom."

At this point, Kraden interrupted. "And what about me, hmm? I may not be Lemurian, but I am working for them... and at this point, friend or not, I'm not really happy with the way you're doing things Piers."

Piers smiled again, despite the almost hostile tone directed at him. "The offer stands for you too, Kraden. Anywhere you want to go, I'll take you."

"Personally I don't want to go anywhere. Proxians or no, this was my assignment and I intended to see it through to the end as I've always done."

"I doubt there'll be much left," Mia said quietly. "The building was half-destroyed when we tried to leave it. Those who weren't killed will likely flee... most of the Elementalists were just street hackers anyway, after all. They have no allegiance to Lemuria."

Kraden hesitated, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. He thought on that for a moment. "You may be right. But I'm curious as to how you know that."

"Before you locked me in the cell, I _did_ have run of the facilities. I found out a few things." Mia shrugged, wanting to smile but finding it difficult, so she didn't bother. "I didn't want to be clueless about the second organisation to hold me prisoner in as many days."

"You know it was for the good of ever-"

"Enough, please," Piers said quietly. The three had stopped on the side of one of the main roads, and while it was too late in the day for people to be around, it was still likely that they'd be heard. "We can discuss this more on the _Sheba_. I just wanted to make it clear that you're no longer a prisoner, Mia, and that you now have a pass to anywhere in the world you want to go. Please think on that."

That said, Piers turned and continued walking, and Mia followed after him. Still clearly unhappy, Kraden rejoined the procession, and they all picked up speed. Piers' statement did occupy Mia's thoughts for some time, though. Where would she go now?

It wasn't long before they arrived at the port of Alhafra. Piers wasted no time in directing them straight down the wharves and to a good sized ship, clearly marked as the _Sheba_. And it was almost immediately obvious that it had been broken into. The door into the cabin was open, and it looked to have been forced from the outside.

"I'm not sure if I mentioned this..." Piers said quietly, "but the male Proxian, Saturos, was a prisoner of mine in this boat. Apparently the woman was one of his associates... she must have found him in the ship."

"No... you didn't mention it." Kraden glared at him, clearly frustrated. "And perhaps this whole thing could have been avoided if you hadn't. Or better yet... perhaps you could have warned us of the possibility!"

"We all make mistakes," the Lemurian replied with a sigh. "I'm sorry. But there's little point in looking back now."

The three stepped inside, and Piers quickly closed the damaged compartment that had once held the man named Saturos. "I can pick up and leave at any time. Just tell me where you want to go."

Kraden stayed quiet at this, apparently still fuming over the new discoveries, so Mia stepped up and answered first.

"I've been given this Psynergy," she said quietly, "and the Proxians would have ultimately used it - and me - for things which so far don't seem to be very conducive to the rest of the world. So I may as well deny them its use, and give it to those against them." She looked up at Piers. "Let me go with you. Please."

Piers grinned. "Done. You can come with me and we'll go thwart the plans of a country together."

Mia smiled a little. "Sounds like fun."

That said, Piers turned to Kraden. "Shall I set up the ship for a crew of three, or would you like to return to Lemuria and report the downfall of your project to the senators?"

The old man darkened even more. "Piers, you're not making me think very highly of you right now."

"Your opinion of me doesn't matter too much," the Lemurian replied calmly... though Mia thought she could hear a hint of sadness. They were friends, after all, and she imagined that they didn't like fighting. "But like you, I'm dedicated to getting results, especially when it comes to bringing down the Proxians."

"That didn't work so well in Tundaria," Kraden countered. "You were knocked out, clapped in irons, drugged into a stupor and put in the brig beyond the reach of any save Alex, only to disappear with him upon return. Dedicated or not, that's a slight blemish on your record... so what do you think you can do with just yourself and a girl?"

"A lot more than you can by picking up the pieces of a broken building or kissing the feet of a senator." Piers' reply was direct and without hesitation.

The silence that followed was deafening, and Mia was almost sure she could see sparks flying between the two. After what seemed like the better portion of the remaining night, however, Kraden finally sighed and sat down at the nearest possible bench.

"Alright then Piers. Since we're friends, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. I'll come along... but if I don't like the way things are going, I would like you to return me to Lemuria."

Piers nodded. "That's all I could ask you for. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. You'd just better live up to your end of the bargain." Kraden sighed, removing his spectacles and rubbing his eyes.

Without another word, Piers went up on deck. Moments later, the motor came to life, and little by little Mia could feel the boat leave the port. With a small shrug, she sat down besides Kraden, taking the moment once again to reinforce her own mental barriers. So much was going on right now, but she would deal with the impact of it later. For now, she had things to do.

"My apologies for your captivity," Kraden said quietly.

Mia looked at him calmly. "I forgive you. But next time I would far prefer to be considered an ally than an enemy to be caged. Maybe I can show you that this time."

"Maybe." He sighed again. "One thing is for sure... it's going to be a long trip."

- - - - -

She woke up to see him standing away from her, looking out through the window at the early morning light. She smiled absently at the sight, even as she rubbed her temples to quell the headache that had already settled there.

Isaac had gotten her to safety, just like a knight in shining armour. The moment that metaphor crossed her mind, however, Jenna mumbled something as if trying to push it aside.

"Oh, you're awake." Apparently the noise was enough for Isaac to hear her. He turned and smiled slightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Jenna sat up in the bed slowly, testing her arms and legs as she did so. She could still move, yet aches and pains persisted throughout her body… that was to be expected. She imagined that she had a few bruises as well.

"Glad to hear it." He looked around the room for a moment, and Jenna followed his gaze. This room was one of Isaac's hideaways that he'd stayed in while living as a Net hacker… she doubted that save from Isaac had seen it prior to her arrival. It wasn't very well equipped, though, and they'd likely need to keep moving soon. The single bed had been granted to Jenna immediately upon their arrival, while Isaac had sat on the lone chair and apparently slept there.

"I guess no-one followed us or busted this place in," she noted. "We should be safe."

"Yeah." Isaac pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down, leaving only a short distance between them. He carefully studied her, and smile planted itself on his face as if he didn't even realize it. Jenna returned it slightly, though she was starting to feel funny… it wasn't just her headache, either. Maybe she needed to eat something.

"I did some testing this morning," he said quietly, his expression turning serious very quickly. "With my Psynergy, that is. As far as I can tell, I don't have the ability to replicate that shield… or not at will, anyway."

Jenna frowned. "You still believe it was me, don't you?"

Isaac nodded. "I don't know how, but it's the only thing I can think of. Maybe you should test it out yourself and see if you can use it too."

She shook her head quickly. This Project Psynergy business had gone on far enough without bestowing powers upon her too… she was about ready to just pack up and go into hiding, away from the Proxians and the Psynergy and everything else.

"It's not like having Psynergy is a big deal…" he said quietly.

"I know it's not. Not for us, at least." Jenna gave him a reassuring smile, and he softened a little.

"Fine… just maybe keep it in mind." Isaac stood up again, moving over to another part of the room where a small set of kitchen utensils was collected. "I didn't keep much food here since I've been staying at my other hideaway… I'll have to go out and get something if you're hungry."

"I'm okay." Jenna wrapped the blanket around her tightly, taking comfort in the warmth it provided. Her mind was beginning to recount everything that had happened during the previous day. Isaac's discovery, the Proxian attack, her strange dream, the name Felix, their survival and escape… the only thing that she could draw from it all was that she needed to get away from it for a while, to take some respite somewhere.

But where could they go exactly? Jenna sighed and laid back on the bed once more, mulling it over. Isaac had apparently busied himself elsewhere.

"Hey Isaac… why did you fight the Proxians?"

Isaac looked up and considered that for a moment. "I distinctly remember the woman attacking us first… but then, I did use the earthquake before that." He frowned. "Is that what you mean?"

"Kind of. I meant… why didn't you stop me and just go with them?" The questions had appeared unbidden in her mind, and Jenna was beginning to confuse herself. Deep down, though, she knew the root of them.

"It's not something I wanted to do… and besides, I just wanted to protect you."

"But you still could have gone even when I lashed out at him. Why did you go to such great lengths to protect me further?" Jenna's voice was quiet, and she was looking right at Isaac's eyes as if to gauge his feelings.

"Because you didn't want me to leave," he answered calmly, moving to sit on the chair again. "Because you're my friend."

"You wouldn't go out of your way to protect any friend you have in a life-threatening situation, surely."

"I'd do what I could, yes."

Jenna blinked, slightly taken aback. The response was calm and completely understandable, yet part of her seemed… hurt by it. He'd made no distinction between her and any other friend. He'd throw himself in front of any friend… it wasn't just because she was a special friend or anything of the sort. It was just his nature.

She caught herself thinking that. Special friend..? Why was she thinking that? And what did it matter to her if he did? Isaac was her friend, and she was lucky to have him. Yet she was still just a friend. Just an ordinary friend like any other person he met…

"What's the matter?" Isaac asked, looking at her. Jenna absently realized that her eyes were stinging, and she blinked them quickly, frowning at the sudden occurrence.

"Nothing's the matter," she answered, though her response was strangely snappy. What was she doing? She turned away from him, not wanting to face him with her eyes stinging like that… and she realized that she was crying. Jenna didn't cry very often, and this shouldn't have set her off… what she was doing? What was wrong with her all of a sudden?

"No, that's not the truth. Something is the matter." Isaac's voice was calm, though laced with a slight hesitation.

She didn't respond, trying first to properly bring her tears under control. They were coming unbidden, and she couldn't stop them. Still just a friend… nothing more.

Why was she like this? Jenna took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, trying futilely to stop it. She knew though… she knew deep down. She had no desire to be just a friend, not anymore. They'd spent a lot of time together, worked together, lived together, fought together, shared so much about everything… Isaac was special. So very special. It was hard to consider him as 'just a friend'… she wanted the feelings returned.

"You're crying…" Isaac murmured, and Jenna instinctively shook her head.

"It's nothing!"

"No… it is something." The hesitation was there again, and it lingered for a moment as she sobbed slightly. "Jenna… you know… I say that I'd try and protect any friend like that… but somehow I doubt that I truly could. No-one ever knows how brave they'd be in a situation like that without being in one."

She gritted her teeth, trying to quell the tears. It wasn't worth crying over!

Isaac was quiet for a long moment before continuing.

"But then, I _have_ been in the situation with you. You were in trouble, and the first thing I wanted to do was help you… I wanted to try and protect you. Keep you safe. Without hesitation, without even really thinking, that's what I wanted to do. Not just a friend, I suppose… you're a friend worth saving. A great friend. Someone I care about."

Slowly, Jenna opened her eyes, wiping the tears away slightly. She was staring at the wall that her bed rested against, and Isaac was still sitting on the chair behind her, though he seemed to be leaning close to her. The tears ceased quickly, as if she'd been told exactly what she wanted to hear. It _had_ been what she wanted to hear.

"…you're a special person, Isaac," Jenna murmured, quickly getting back into control now that his words had calmed her. "I've met a lot of people in the time that I remember – even if it's not much – but none of them are anything like you."

"You give me too much credit," he murmured back.

Jenna turned back to face him, seeing now that he was crouching beside her bed, his head level with hers. Concern was etched onto his features, yet even now he seemed to radiate calm.

It was something she liked about him… calm and caring all the time, always wanting to help. It was a nice touch to offset her impulsive attitudes.

"I don't think I've given you enough credit," Jenna confessed quietly, looking into his eyes, intensely studying the blue in them. "You saved my life back there… and you've been a great friend. You're just… a good person… and I'm lucky to know you."

Something more was lingering in her mind, but the words were denied her. Why couldn't she say it? Desperately, she tried to bring them up, but her voice stuck.

"I'm luckier to know you," Isaac said with a small laugh. "You're… a little brash, but you're sweet, and friendly, and caring…" he hesitated, reddening a little. "Incredibly beautiful…"

That was it. Without any warning, Jenna moved forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and pulling their faces together quickly. Their lips pressed together, and Isaac's eyes went wide for just an instant before they both relaxed into the embrace.

They held it for a few seconds before pulling apart gently, Isaac blinking in surprise and Jenna starting to blush furiously. Despite the embarrassment of her sudden action, she spoke quietly.

"Um… sorry… I guess that was me being brash and impulsive again…"

Isaac shook his head quickly, the calm in his face being replaced by a mix of surprise and… relief. "No, no, it's okay… I don't mind…" He took a deep breath before pulling her towards him again, and once more their lips pressed into a tight kiss.

Jenna relaxed once more, feeling safe and peaceful for the first time since the Project Psynergy business had begun. For now there was no threat of arcane forces, no Proxians, no pain… there was just the pair of them. And it felt good.

The second kiss lasted longer, but eventually they broke apart again, staring at one another again. Despite the lingering flush touching their cheeks, neither seemed particularly embarrassed now.

"This being impulsive is kind of nice…" Isaac murmured, smiling a little.

"So shut up and do it again," Jenna said with a grin, pressing her lips against his once more. While this kiss was shorter, neither was truly hesitant this time, and a wave of happiness seemed to pass through Jenna at the contact. The feeling was incredible.

Once more they parted, and Jenna giggled absently. All of her lingering aches and pains were temporarily forgotten, relaxation had wrapped itself around her, and she remained reclined on the bed, her arms still wrapped around him gently. Isaac's own arms were around her now, though when it had happened, she couldn't be sure. Her eyes were beginning to sting again… but this time, she knew that any tears weren't brought on by sudden sadness.

"Better," she said with a happy sigh. Isaac smiled, though it slipped a little as he answered.

"I'm sorry I didn't say it immediately… implying that you were just a friend… you've interested me for a while now, but I just didn't know how to bring it up in the middle of a crisis. Or how to bring it up at all."

"I'd say you covered it just fine," Jenna said, her playful attitude peaking once more even as she began to recall the aches.

"I suppose." He smiled once more. "So… would you like to be more than friends?"

"I'd like that very much." Her heart felt like it was beating faster as she eyed his face for the umpteenth time, taking in his handsome features as he did the same to her.

She'd had some friends in her time in Alhafra, usually with the hackers that she made her living with, but none of them even compared to him. He really was special… and if just for meeting him alone, she was glad that she'd decided to join the Elementalists.

No matter what they were going to do next, things would likely seem a bit more interesting…

"So are you just going to stare at me for a while?" Jenna asked, sounding playful yet again as she nudged him gently.

"Oh, sorry..." Isaac grinned.

And they kissed once more.

Deciding their next course of action could wait a while, Jenna decided silently...

- - - - -

"Gaia, please report," Alex said calmly into the communicator.

"I don't think this boat appreciates me for it, but I'm within sight of Alhafra already." Felix's voice was calm, though he sounded fatigued… apparently he hadn't left anything up to chance and had been guiding his boat throughout the night. "I'll be ready to extract Magma and Rogue shortly. I've also alerted the closest medical crew so that we can get them checked up as requested."

"Understood. Please report again when you do on their circumstances… after all, you said they'd had a little fun yesterday. Then carry on your orders with them in tow." Alex smiled. "Well done, Gaia, but be sure to hand over the boat to either of them so that you can actually sleep."

"That would be very nice, I think." Felix chuckled. "Gaia out."

Alex opened the top drawer of his desk, slotting the communicator into a specific place beside several others. Good news at last… Saturos had survived, despite whatever activities he'd insisted on performing in Madra. He was easily replaceable if necessary, certainly… but Alex had grown accustomed to relaying his orders through the four original Proxian Adepts, and he didn't wish to change that now.

He looked over his desk to the other side of the wall that made up the small office he kept near the aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse. Menardi stood against it, her expression mostly calm, but even she couldn't keep the hints of relief and excitement out of it.

"You heard?" Alex asked simply.

"I did. He's alive."

"Correct." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you've been worried sick as of late and will want to see him soon, so I've arranged for your next task to be close to his intended vicinity."

Menardi nodded. "Thank you. Where, might I ask?"

"In the nearby continent of Angara is a large city called Tolbi." Alex tapped a button on his desk, and a holographic map of Weyard was projected onto the wall to his left. "You should know of it, it's the largest city on the continent."

"I've never visited, but I know where it is," she replied with a nod.

"The current ruler of Tolbi is an elderly man named Babi. I need you to visit him and act as my envoy."

Menardi raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I'm pretty sure you just asked me to get myself killed."

"I wouldn't send you into a situation like that without your permission," Alex responded. "Besides, your worry isn't necessary. Angara is divided into numerous smaller provinces, and each has their own autonomy. Tolbi, being somewhat away from Osenia, isn't cracking down on Proxians as Madra is. You'll be fine, especially when traveling under what is essentially diplomatic immunity."

She nodded slowly. "If you say so, Alex."

"The task is simple. I'll arrange for you to meet with Babi, and I want you to simply deliver the proposition I'm about to explain to you. It'll be there in writing, but it would help if you explained it as well.

"I don't know who's taking the bigger risk… me, for delivering it, or you for suggesting this." Menardi looked at Alex closely, trying to gauge something from his calm expression. "Do you really need an outsider for this?"

"In all honesty, there are alternatives to this method… but this is both the swiftest and the most effective way of doing so. Compared to the potential benefits, the risks are minor." He shrugged. "And that's even if those risks include dealing with an outsider."

"…alright. What's the proposal I'm delivering to this man?"

Alex smiled and leaned closer over his table.

"He's going to deal with Lalivero and make arrangements with them to build a lighthouse to keep an eye over the Great Eastern Ocean. It's been suggested before but never done, and it would likely improve the conditions of the trade routes between Angara, Osenia and Lemuria. It would even be of use in places as distant as… say… Prox."

Menardi blinked in surprise. "Wait. There's more to this. You mean… you… you want me to ask him to build the _Venus Lighthouse_?!"

"That's right. There are pockets all over Lalivero where strains of the Venus bacteria still survive, buried deep in the ground. It's the perfect place for the Lighthouse to be constructed in order to harness it. Babi is the one with the charisma to suggest that it is done in Lalivero, and Tolbi is rich enough to fund it with support from both provinces."

"What about the Elemental Star?" she asked, confused by his plans.

"That's easy. While the two provinces can work together, we can add our own touches in the system… as well as fill the construction and operation team with most of our non-Proxian agents. The lighthouse will be constructed _mostly_ without Proxian influence, and everything will seem fine. Obviously, there will need to be some overseers… for example, you, Saturos, Karst and Felix will get to watch the early stages. Call it a vacation."

She could barely believe what she was hearing. Was he serious…? The Jupiter Lighthouse was hidden in a secluded part of Atteka, the Mercury not too far from the Imil base, and Mars was being planned for construction in Prox… all three were in secluded locations.

What made the Venus Lighthouse different? Was there anything? Or was Alex just truly desperate to have it built up in time? She didn't understand it at all… but for now, she put that uncertainty aside. Alex had proven before that he knew what he was doing… but would he really be able to protect his secrets that well?

"What of Babi, then?" Menardi asked quietly. "What's in this for him? Do you really think you can trust him with knowing about your connections to this?" The entire plan seemed far too risky for Alex's usual approach, no matter how Menardi tried to perceive it.

Alex, in response, simply grinned.

"I'm going to offer him something that few would refuse, especially one like Babi… I'm going to offer him eternal life."

- - - - -

Karst clicked the torch twice, and a light blinked twice back almost instantly. She smiled, partly because they were getting out of here, and partly because she got to see Felix again. In hostile places like this, it was good to have friends around.

From behind her, Karst heard Saturos grunt slightly. He was slightly moody this evening… but then, given the events that he'd been caught up in over the last few weeks, it was hardly surprising if he was slightly foul. His arm was still causing him a lot of pain as well, even though he denied it profusely whenever he asked.

"He's coming in now," she said quietly, scanning the beach line. They'd spent the evening moving away from Alhafra to a safer spot a few kilometers away, where Felix would have an easier time landing without being noticed. Saturos was resting against a tree now, adjusting his sling slightly.

"I saw. Good. I need my arm looked at as soon as possible."

"I'm sure he'll have all the arrangements made. Gaia has done his duties flawlessly to this date."

"Of course he has." Saturos gave a small smile. "He always did pick up the lessons well."

The faint noise of the boat's motor began to overpower the crashing of the waves, and the light blinked twice more. Karst flicked her own torch in response, and the boat moved according to the adjustments made. Then, the motor cut out quickly, and a brief grinding noise was heard as the front of the boat made contact with the sand.

Their rescue had arrived.

A lantern was turned on, illuminating the boat. It was of a similar size and shape to the one that Saturos had been held prisoner in, though of a slightly different make. It was clearly built more for speed than extended periods of ocean travel.

Standing on the deck, looking out to them with a hint of concern, was Felix. Seeing his face again made Karst smile slightly.

"Hopefully I didn't come too late," he called out to them, his voice calm and level.

"On the contrary, you're right on time." Saturos stepped past Karst and proceeded to the boat, walking past Felix's position and heading to the rear where the ladder to climb on was. Karst simply waited for him to pass her before approaching to the front of the boat and pulling herself up. Felix quickly stepped up and helped her over onto the deck, before moving back to Saturos.

They were still in hostile territory, but already Karst felt calmer. She didn't realize just how tense she'd been in Alhafra or during their raid, but immediately now she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her.

Not _all_ the weight… but some of it.

Karst looked up at the sky for a moment as if looking for something, before returning her attention to the aft of the boat. Saturos had already clambered on board and had headed below deck to the cabin, aided by Felix. Neither of the three disagreed on the fact that he deserved some rest. Absently, she took a seat on the padded bench that sat at the front of the boat.

Now where would they go from here? Karst had been told to locate Saturos, and hopefully retrieve him as well. From there, she simply had to communicate Alex for her next orders. But Felix had already done that for her, so now it was a matter of waiting for him.

That is, if she spoke of that topic to him at all. She smiled slightly, remembering her bet with herself. Saturos would be reunited with Menardi, and she doubted either would waste any time confessing given how close they had been to separating. Karst imagined she had until they returned to Jupiter Lighthouse – assuming that was their destination – to talk to Felix.

She looked over the front of the boat, back onto the barely visible sands.

And the moment she did so, they began to shift and shudder. With a sharp cry, she stepped back hurriedly to avoid anything flying out and striking her. What was that? What was happening?

It was only a moment before friendly laughter breached the air. Karst looked at it quickly, seeing Felix just a few steps to her right. How he'd gotten so close so silently was lost to her… she must have been deeply entrenched in her own thoughts.

"Surprised you, did I?" Felix was making some gestures with his hands, and Karst quickly realized that the ground was simply moving to his Psynergy. Of course… how else were they going to get back into water? She sighed, feeling foolish.

It only took a few moments before they were back in the water, and Felix quickly moved to the controls of the vessel, turning them around and setting them in motion. Karst watched him for a moment, then turned her attention back over the water. There wasn't much to see at this time of the night, but staring into the darkness and listening to the sounds of the ocean beneath her felt good. It was certainly refreshing after the recent events she'd gone through.

It had been a success in the long run, really. Saturos had been recovered, but more than that, a Lemurian installation had been gutted by only two people. She had assisted Saturos in decimating the better part of the population there, as well as forcing any Psynergy users - even though there shouldn't have been any - and the leadership to flee. If such a thing could be replicated elsewhere, Prox would gain the upper hand while expending very little manpower.

But Alex had other plans in mind. There were many ways this war could have unfolded, and that method was not the chosen one.

"You're pretty quiet."

Karst looked up at Felix's voice, noting that he had moved back to sit beside her on the same long bench that she had taken perch at. She shrugged, flashing him a quick smile. "It's been a fairly intense few days. I'm just eager to take the moment to relax."

"In that case, I'd better save the orders for tomorrow. That way I can tell Saturos at the same time." He smiled for a moment, but then his usual calm expression returned. "At least you both got out of it okay. I was worried about you."

"Really? That's sweet of you." Her smile broadened a little. "Not surprising though, given that I was directly responsible for the wellbeing of your mentor, whom you have quite the affinity with."

Felix shook his head slightly. "It wasn't just Saturos, it was you too. I mean, you were in the middle of everything, and he can handle himself."

Karst grinned. "What, and I can't?"

Shaking his head again, Felix clapped his hand to his face. "No, no, no. I'm not making this sound right, am I?"

"Sure you are, I'm just kidding around with you." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's just too difficult for you to come right out and say you have a thing for me, isn't it?"

"What?!" Felix looked a little shocked for a moment, though that quickly faded and he studied her curiously as if only seeing her for the first time. "I really hope you're kidding me."

"Well, yes and no." Karst looked him over and tried to gauge his reactions a little better, her smile still remaining. "I find it a lot of fun to see someone as calm and confident as you squirm, as you should know. But hey, since you seem so nervous, maybe I struck a nerve?"

In Felix's defence, he didn't really seem that nervous at all. The young man had always been able to control his emotions and reactions quite well. Still, Karst had known him for years, and she had ways of telling. And quietly, she was asking the questions so that she didn't have to reveal her own interests first.

"Well, maybe." He looked at her directly now. "I mean, I've never really thought about it much... but you're a good friend of mine and a really nice person. And you've been so good to me all those years. So you could say that I do, kinda... it's a natural progression really." He shrugged.

Bingo. Karst forced herself to remain calm and dropped her smile slightly, keeping most of her features blank.

"Well, that's really sweet of you, Felix. And it just so happens..." she hesitated slightly. "...that I have a similar interest."

Felix blinked, looking surprised, and then a smirk spread across his face. "So all your banter just now was designed to put me in the spotlight and see how I felt, huh?"

"Guilty as charged." Karst shrugged, her grin returning.

"How long have you been keeping that quiet?"

"Not too long. You've always been a friend, but the notion didn't really occur to me until more recently. Maybe it just took me that long to grow up."

Felix laughed a little. "Well then maybe it's something to look into a little. Perhaps we could discuss your newfound maturity over dinner at the next port?"

"I'd like that." Karst sidled over along the bench to be right beside him, playfully putting her head on his shoulder. "I'd like that a lot."

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Pretty much every character is now in a group with another, and they're all active enough to have their own individual scenes in every chapter. That could easily have been the case with this one, but like I said earlier, time constraints and a busy life made that impossible. A few of the scenes for the next chapter are already written though, so don't fret... once November is over - or during if I don't succeed in NaNo - I'll get another one up ASAP. We're coming up to a climax soon, after all, and maybe I just might be generous and actually spill some of the secrets behind Project Psynergy.

Or maybe I'll just leave you guys hanging for a while... that might be fun. Until next chapter. grins evilly


	19. Strategem

**Author's Notes: **I am incredibly disappointed in myself. Once again, I have left you guys out in the cold for six months without a single update. Granted, that doesn't mean I haven't been trying... my laptop wrecked itself in late December, and that meant I lost everything - all my notes, all my drafts, and a very close to complete Chapter 16 (also a half-completed Chapter 3 of Black Book, which really hurt). Which was one of my favourite pieces of writing for this story yet. So I was a little disillusioned for a while, and that only continued when every attempt to rewrite it seemed nothing like the original in terms of quality. The last four months have been writer's block hell and I've been unable to drag myself out of it. But as usual I haven't forgotten the story... just how to write it best.

So, that's the situation, and until I break this irritating situation it's going to be a while before a full chapter comes along. In the meantime, just to give you anything, here's the only scene I've written since which I was remotely happy with (and I'm not really, but whatever).

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 15x - Strategem**

He'd always been the calm one. As long as Isaac could remember, he had always done his best to remain completely focused on pushing on and completing what needed to be done. Some called it willpower, others called him stubborn. He had emotions and was not afraid to let them out, but when it came down to work, he remained calm, cool, and collected until the very end. He wouldn't let anyone down even if it took every last scrap of energy in his being.

Jenna found it to be a breath of fresh air.

So many people in the world would just sit around and talk or debate endlessly about what needed to be done. It was always the way... the Elementalists had been afraid to take any serious action in their efforts against Prox, always keeping enemy positions completely untouched and merely relying on observation. In theory that would all go back to Lemuria and be processed for action... but as far as Jenna knew, that action had simply never taken place. No doubt the discussions and debates were going on _fiercely_ there to decide what would be done.

But Jenna? She was impulsive, sometimes to the point of rashness. Her emotions got the better of her, and while that could sometimes prove a slight hindrance, it meant she could - and would - come forth with a single-minded ferocity that meant she would see her enemy defeated and her mission accomplished.

And Isaac found her strength to be an incredible quality.

They had picked up the similarities in their style of work quickly amongst their time in the Elementalists, and each respected one another for their capabilities and strength of character. It was small wonder that that had ultimately turned to admiration and affection... but it was even less of a wonder that they didn't rest long before continuing their fight.

It was the second day after the destruction of the Elementalist headquarters. The group had, for all intents and purposes, been crushed completely. The surviving hackers - surprisingly numerous, given that the attack had not been executed with the objective of eradication - had all fled and returned to their respective existences. A small handful clung to the title of Elementalists and attempted to bring the organisation back together, but it was a doomed caused.

And through their efforts, Isaac sat in the front seat of a small cafe in Alhafra, tapping away at his laptop. His usually spiky hair had been left loose and hung wildly around his face, altering his appearance somewhat to at least direct some observers away. He was dressed in casual clothes, though a white jacket was worn over the top and silver sunglasses resting amidst his hair - very different from his usual style, but he was ignoring the fashion statement entirely. He and Jenna didn't have the resources to alter their appearances too much just yet, and it wasn't a guarantee that they were wanted anyway, so it was the best he could do. It just remained his job to look casual.

He continued to tap away on the laptop, smiling slightly. Lines of code were gradually forming on his screen - it was a simple little program, but it would do the job perfectly. Looking over his work once more, satisfied that it was completed, he tapped a quick command and opened a chat program. Then he paged Jenna and waited for her response.

The people of Weyard were fond of debating action amongst themselves. Humans in general were fickle, indecisive creatures. They could go through their lives simply enough, provided nothing out of the ordinary occurred. If it did occur, however, then they would start talking. Very few would be willing to take direct action against whatever the problem was - everyone would have their own opinion, and usually argument would spread about what was the right and wrong way to deal with it. All the while, the problem would remain... and would often spread.

That was how Isaac pictured the situation in Weyard right now, and Jenna had agreed with him. Project Psynergy was the problem, and no-one knew how best to deal with it. Some needed more information, some attempted peaceful discussions, some were willing to go to open war... on and on and on the discussions went, from the lowest citizen to the Lemurian king himself. Only a handful were willing to take direct action and end the problem entirely.

And that was just what they would do. Their new plan was simple enough, Isaac mused. In their current situation - which they planned to alter soon - they had no access to anywhere in the world save Alhafra. They could only do so much there... but others could do it for them. All they had to do was send the message out. A big message... that as many people in the world would see as possible.

A blip appeared on Isaac's computer screen, and he brought it up. Jenna was on the other end.

"Finished?" The message was plain enough, and Isaac quickly tapped his response.

"Yeah, the program should feed the data properly when it's in place. What about your end?"

"All ready. I'll transmit a packet to you to make sure it's working. Let me know the results."

Seconds later, another window appeared on this computer screen. Creating a computer network was easy enough, but custom building one for a set purpose was somewhat trickier. The window displayed a simple image directly from Jenna, however - a quick photo of her winking at him.

Isaac grinned.

"Received loud and clear. I think I might save that one."

He could almost hear her laughing. "Yeah, hold onto that when you're in there. As you can see, the cameras are all set up, ready to transmit as necessary. Are you ready to move in?"

"Yeah, I'll head in now."

"Sure you don't want me to do it?"

"You're the one transmitting the camera footage so you're already in more trouble than I am. Pretty soon you're going to be the most wanted woman in Weyard. It's best not to link you up to this any further."

"Alright. Just don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself caught or killed. I'll be _really _angry if you do." This made Isaac smirk.

"I'll make sure to keep out of trouble. Stay online, and get ready to transmit on the signal. It should take me about fifteen minutes to get in there."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

"See you after this is done."

"I look forward to it. Love you."

Isaac smiled. Immediately after that final message, Jenna's signal switched to Idle mode. Now she was simply waiting.

Without a moment's hesitation, Isaac shut off the regular connection to the Net, leaving only their hastily constructed network running, and slipped his laptop into his bag. He checked his watch - just after four in the afternoon. Good. He'd need to be ready by five... and by the time that happened, he should be well out of harm's way. And then Weyard might actually have a better chance of dealing with the Psynergy issue that Prox was bringing to them.

He stepped out of the cafe, leaving a few dollars on the table as a tip, before slipping off into Alhafra. Pausing for a moment to put his sunglasses on, he walked into the main street, heading towards his destination... the television station.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **And that's it. Terrible how little I have to show for six months, huh? But I'll get you guys something as soon as possible, promise. That said, thanks for reading as always, and a bigger thanks if you've miraculously stuck around for however many years I've been writing this. That final sentence was a little reference to one of you who really has - thanks heaps again, Daidairo. Until next time, which is hopefully sooner than later.


	20. Mayhem

**Author's Notes: **Every single last one of you are crazy, and I can't thank you enough. The amount of sympathetic and well-wishing reviews since putting up 15x truly stunned me. Heck, I think I got more reviews from that than some of the most important chapters in the story got. It's really quite surprising, and I'm touched. Of course... that's not to say that slumps will never happen again, but I'm still more than inspired to keep at it. Project Psynergy isn't going anywhere until I'm finished with it, and I get the feeling I'll be well into my 20s by the time that happens. Heck, I'm less than a year from that anyway, and I started this story at the age of 16... but no matter.

So, to business... part of the reason that I was disheartened with my loss was because this chapter was going to be a complete monster. It's big, definitely among the largest and most important to date. Thus the loss of the original drafts was always going to hurt me a lot. Rebuilding that from scratch was incredibly difficult and in the process the story got changed around a little bit... it's not quite as big as it was going to be but it's still a very large chapter. And finally I present it to you.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 16 - Mayhem**

Garet dreamed. This didn't really worry him - this was normal human behaviour. This was plain, this was simple... no matter how chaotic and disjointed his dreams were, it was a solace to have them, because he knew he was sleeping... and thus still alive, still certain of some form of safety. Unless one still dreamed beyond the grave... but Garet had never been much for philosophy. Dreaming was a good thing as far as he was concerned.

Madra. He could see it sprawling before him now. It was a thriving city, built close to the single nautical strait that linked the Western Ocean to the Eastern Ocean. Without it, both Madra and the not too distant Alhafra would be forced to direct all shipping around the bulk of Osenia. But because of it, both cities and numerous places in between benefitted from heavily active trade lines. Thus they flourished, and grew. Madra was not a port city like Alhafra, but given the autonomous City State system that much of Weyard possessed, it was large enough to extend its influence over much of the smaller port communities in the region.

It was that region that Garet had grown accustomed to calling his home. Even now he could see the image of his family going about their business at home... without him. He frowned and tried to push closer to the house, as if to better see and better affirm that they were his family... yet inexorably, he was pulled away. Madra shrank around him until it seemed - and really was - miles away.

Absently, Garet reached out as if to grab hold of something and pull himself back... but then he let go. His family was there, but somehow... his future didn't seem to be. Not now, not yet. He'd become part of something much larger, and he wanted to see it through. His life had refused to be truly stable and interesting since he'd fled Vale. Parts of him still considered that to be his home, and Madra would never truly fill its role as a proper substitute.

Glimpses of his life seemed to pass before him, drawing his attention. People he had once known from the town of Vale, people that had splintered apart and migrated to different parts of Weyard. He had attempted to keep in touch with a few when he departed for Madra, and yet few if any ever remained in contact. Yet he still remembered them, could see their faces, hear their names and their laughs. Life had been good then, and while Madra was a nice place, it just... didn't have the same appeal. It was bigger, yet that just seemed to make people hold on to smaller groups and isolate themselves further... Garet knew very few people well there.

Now he could see glimpses of his schooling... he'd finished his education in Madra, though with fairly average results. He wasn't stupid by any means, but he was a little impatient and relied too much on his instincts and snap decisions than proper studying and careful preparation. His education gave way to jobs... very basic, un-intellectual affairs such as his security guard work. Very much a dead-end path. Being accepted as a police officer, on the other hand, had been a huge improvement. It was far more of a career option, something he could really focus on and dedicate his life to... but now even that was over. Garet wasn't too sure if he could return right now... as far as he knew, they'd all been declared officially dead. The police might not accept him a second time after having disappeared.

He'd have to ask Hama about sending a message to his family to let them know that he was okay... and that thought brought Hama's face to mind. And along with Hama came Feizhi's smiling face.

Well, this was something at least. Garet had never expected to become something akin to a superhero and saving the world, but... if he was here, he might as well enjoy it. Who knew what he'd have when it was done?

And now here he was, in Daila... in a hotel room... sitting in a chair beside Feizhi's bed, feeling something warm on his face...

Garet blinked out of his sleepy state, shaking his head to clear it. He'd just been sitting there, reading a newspaper and keeping an eye on Feizhi... he must have drifted off. Absently, he turned to look in Feizhi's direction.

And there she was, her face merely two inches away, her bright violet eyes locking onto his and her mouth curling into a smile. "So who is supposed to be watching who?"

"Gah!" Garet instinctively backed away, only to lose his balance and knock over his chair with a gasp, falling in a heap on the floor. He winced and shook his head again, pulling himself up to a sitting position slowly. His face reddened, partly from annoyance and partly from embarrassment."Did you have to startle me?"

By this point Feizhi looked to be half out of her bed to help him up, but seeing that he wasn't really hurt, she instead opted to sit on the edge and watch him instead. "Not really. But then, you were in my room, dozing in your chair, so I thought the best way to rouse you would be to breathe on your face."

Garet blinked. "Does that work?"

"You're awake, aren't you?" She grinned.

With a small sigh, Garet picked himself up and straightened the chair before perching himself on it again. Only once this was done did it occur to him that Feizhi had been unconscious for a whole day now. Since passing out in the morning previously, he had rushed the unconscious girl to Hama, who had checked over her before deciding that nothing was really wrong with her... she'd simply slipped into something like a trance. She just needed to wake herself up.

Since they weren't in a mad rush to get anything done until they had a proper plan regarding their campaign against Prox, Garet had offered to stay by her side and keep an eye on her as necessary. That had left Hama free to continue her plans, and as far as Garet was concerned, it was better that she was planning their actions compared to him. Besides, he was concerned about Feizhi himself.

"And evidently, so are you." Garet studied her for a moment. She seemed completely alert and awake, and in good health and spirits.

"Wow... I never would have imagined!" Feizhi looked at herself, for a moment acting as if such a thing was surprising, before returning her gaze to Garet and grinning once again. He wasn't sure whether he was annoyed or relieved about the whole situation. Eventually he decided on relief and let himself be amused. After all, at least she had a sense of humor. He could think of worse things to have in his travelling companion.

"Yeah, yeah, great to see that you're awake and still your usual annoying self." Now it was his turn to grin.

"Oh, you're going to regret that one later." She made a face, before pulling herself back onto the bed properly and shifting onto her side to study him. "What time is it?"

"Umm..." Garet checked his watch. He hadn't been asleep for long, which was good. "It's just after midday."

She nodded. "Good... so I only lost a few hours. I have training to keep up wi-"

"No, you don't get it," Garet interrupted. He could hear the concern in his own voice, and apparently so could Feizhi, who stopped. "You've been asleep all day and all night. You've been out for over thirty hours!"

She raised an eyebrow and frowned, looking momentarily stunned. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie about something like this? You just passed out after gripping your head and muttering something nonsensical. Here..." Garet picked up the newspaper that had been dropped, pointing out the current date. "So I carried you in to see Hama, and she said you were in a trance and you'd wake yourself out of it. But she expected it to happen a lot sooner than this... you just kept on sleeping to the point that we were both worried. And I've been sitting here keeping an eye on you the whole time."

Feizhi just continued to look at him, her expression gradually sliding into subdued melancholy. "Oh. Huh... I'm sorry."

Garet waved a hand absently, sighing and leaning back into his chair. "Not your fault. I doubt you wanted to just collapse like that."

"No... not really." She chewed a lip, looking at the ground silently for a few moments. Then she brightened somewhat. "The whole time, huh?"

"For the better part of it, yeah. I got some sleep last night, but that was it." Garet shrugged, giving her a small smile. "Why? I hope I wasn't invading your privacy or anything."

"Not at all. I'm just curious as to whether or not you were enjoying the view." And suddenly, Feizhi wore a devilish grin.

Garet felt his face heat up, and he tried to hide it by quickly standing up and walking out. "You know what, it's good to see you awake, but I'd better let Hama know that you're okay."

Feizhi giggled. She seemed to take great pleasure in playfully tormenting him... absently, Garet found himself wondering why. Perhaps because she hadn't had much in the way of friends ever since she'd been going along went with Hama... that would have seriously eaten into her life, he imagined. Hama didn't have any other pupils, and Feizhi probably wouldn't have had any contact with anyone her age, so she was likely enjoying his company if nothing else. Sooner or later he'd get used to it. And hey, if it kept her happy, there was no need to object.

"Alright, you do that... don't be a stranger, though." She paused. "And perhaps you could have Hama bring me something to eat? I'm famished."

"I'll see what I can do." And with that, Garet slipped out of Feizhi's room and into the hotel hall. Closing the door behind him, he waited for a long moment, wondering whether or not it was too late to go back to Madra... if only to slip out of reach of Feizhi's playful snipes. Then he went to find Hama.

No, he decided to himself, it'd be no fun if he went back...

- - - - -

Ivan flicked a curtain aside, looking out over the sprawling city that was Imil. Sprawling was accurate... the city extended right to the ocean that was its main livelihood, and back just short of the mountains that separated it from the better part of Angara. The building he was in now was a few storeys up, and even that didn't allow him an unimpeded view of the city before him. Skyscrapers rose up in numerous places around the city centre, and occasionally there was a break that allowed a tantalising glimpse at the ocean.

Better that he and Sheba were far away from their boats by the time the Proxians got to them. He could small sections of the large port, and while he knew they were likely safe, his paranoia wouldn't let him truly feel like he was okay until the entire situation was over and Project Psynergy had been dealt with.

Pausing, he raised his hand to a face, then flicked it forward slightly. Sparks seemed to shoot between his fingers as he did so, making him grimace. Then again, there was no guarantee that he'd ever feel okay now...

He shook his head. There'd be time to deal with that later. For now, he had a world to save.

Turning away from the window, Ivan inspected his current location. The hotel room was small, but it was packed to bursting with everything he would really need - a place to rest, a place to stay clean, the facilities to gather information on the world, and a place to eat. There was enough storage space to keep all the meager possessions he had... although that was no longer very much, given that they were all either on his boat or in Alhafra. He'd need to go purchase whatever else he needed later, but for now he needed to get his computer set up again. He'd already purchased a laptop the moment they'd landed at Imil, just an hour or two ago... much to Sheba's surprise.

"You're barely my age! How do you have the money to get something like that on a whim?"

"It's a long story... I'll tell you later." Ivan had given her the sweetest smile he could manage before going about the purchase, and to his delight it had infuriated her greatly. The two were not exactly friends - they were strangers brought together by a desire to right the wrongs that had been visited on them. Little more. Perhaps that would change, but for now their relationship was purely a professional one. At least, as far as you could call anarchy professional.

From there, he could recall all the details... they had proceeded straight to a reasonably good quality hotel of his choosing and he had paid in advance for two rooms. They were the twin son and daughter of a television executive that had travelled to Imil on business, and so they had been given leave by their parent to stay here... with a room each since he _knew _how prone they were to getting into arguments. The story had gone off without a hitch, and all questions about where Ivan had gotten his money from were swept away... except to Sheba, anyway.

Waving all these thoughts out of his head, Ivan sat down at the small table, looking over his newest acquisition. Well, it was shiny enough, but it would take some time before he really though of it as his. Reaching out to pick it up and get started, a knock at the door stopped him in his tracks.. Although he knew it was just Sheba, Ivan still instinctively clutched his armrest's for a split second before forcibly making his fingers relax.

_Calm down, already... you're not in danger. Not yet._

"It's open, come in."

As he expected, the door opened slightly and Sheba's head of blonde hair greeted him, her violet eyes meeting his own. "Hey. May I?"

"That's what I said, didn't I?" Ivan gestured to the other chair in the room - not that there were many other things she could sit on. Aside from the bed and the counter of the kitchenette, all there was in the room was the table and two chairs. Next door, Sheba was in a likely identical room. Ivan didn't expect to be staying here too long, though, so the lack of space was an inconvenience only.

Following his directions, Sheba sat in the chair - though slumped would be a more accurate term. She was clearly exhausted - rings under her eyes indicated a lack of sleep, a result of all the travel they'd been doing with minimal rest, and she barely bothered to hold her limbs up.

"You need sleep," Ivan observed.

"You have a real talent for stating the obvious," Sheba observed right back.

"I call it like I see it." He shrugged, reaching for the remote for the television and switching it onto the Osenia Network. News was playing at the moment, but he didn't pay any attention to it - he merely turned the volume up slightly, allowing the background noise to make it difficult for any unwanted listeners picking up on their conversation. Paranoid, indeed... "What's up?"

"Before I called it a day, I wanted to know if you had any brilliant plans for what we could do here to snub the Proxians." Sheba looked over at him, attempting to look determined but instead coming off as sleepy. "And while I'm at it, I'm curious about you as well. What's your story?"

Ivan shrugged, ignoring the latter question. "At the moment, I don't have much of a plan... I just know that they're considerably active in Imil compared to other places around the world. Not surprising, really... it's close to Prox, it used to be their biggest ally before the Proxian War, and it's the biggest port in Angara. It's not that unusual to see Proxians in the area, so that means that any activities they might be conducting are less likely to be regarded as potentially threatening to Imil."

"Even though people really should be more suspicious," Sheba commented.

"They don't know what we know." He shrugged again. "Either way. I know where one of their installations is on an island near here... they captured me when I was trying to blow it up. And they likely have other resources here... they were abducting a lot of people for experimentation from here, and it would probably make more sense if that was all handled here." He paused. "Though the one girl I rescued was at their little fortress island, buuut she was the only one there at the time. Which means they've either stopped - not likely - or they do their experiments elsewhere."

Sheba looked up at the roof, pulling her legs up onto the chair and resting them against her chest. "Alright. So I still want to know if you have any brilliant plans about snubbing Proxians, and about your story. Or do I have to keep asking questions?"

"No." Ivan shook his head. "No plans yet. I need to get situated here, and then I need to look into where they might-"

Without warning, the television suddenly turned to static. Ivan stopped speaking and glanced it at it, wondering what was the matter, and Sheba glanced at it too.

"Huh, that's odd." Almost lazily, Sheba pulled herself to her feet and went to check on it. The moment she reached it, however, it fixed itself again. Except the video had changed... now the Osenia Network appeared to be broadcasting from a household video camera, judging from the noticably decreased quality. The face of a teenage girl was displayed on it, although it was heavily obscured by sunglasses, a hat, and dyed red hair. She smiled at the camera and began to speak.

"Hello there, viewers. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your normally scheduled programs..."

"Sheba, sit down." Ivan leaned closer to the screen, blinking in surprise as the woman continued to speak. He couldn't believe his eyes... even though she was making an effort to hide her identity, Ivan instantly recognised her. He knew who the girl was beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Sheba sat back down as bade, looking between the screen and Ivan's face. "What's going on? Did somebody take over the network?"

"Not just somebody," Ivan said, grinning. "That's Jenna."

"You're really going to have to explain this to me when this is over," she muttered quietly, focusing on 'Jenna'.

- - - - -

Isaac was not a huge people person. That was obvious to himself and everyone who knew him. He was pleasant company around friends, but found it difficult to properly open up around strangers and those he didn't know very well. But for all those little traits - or perhaps because of them - he certainly found it no trouble to blend in with a crowd when the situation demanded it.

And he knew just what was demanded of him this time. The television station was always a busy place - it processed the information from countless sources, be it actual news, data from the Net or from various contributors, or footage taken of everything ranging from sport to weather to random entertainment. It was a hive of activity, given that this particular station was responsible for the Osenia Network, a channel that was watched by most of the people in Alhafra and a number of others elsewhere in the world. People came and went every second.

So... the easiest way to fit in there was to carry on and look as if you knew what you were doing.

Isaac removed his sunglasses and put them in his breast pocket, walking past the reception without even glancing at the secretary's face and moving into the elevator nearby. One was already waiting for him, and he slipped inside and selected his destination with practiced ease. Moments later he was on the highest floor, where the better part of the broadcasting equipment was contained. There were a lot of people here, too - the moment he stepped from the main corridor and glanced into the nearest room, all he could see were people stationed at their computers, going about their business. Satisfied, Isaac moved past that and continued on.

The elevator was the end of a long hall, which branched off into individual rooms and other corridors every few metres. The place was huge, and yet Isaac had memorised the floor map before coming in. Like clockwork, he navigated the winding mazes of corridors and passages, slipping quietly past anyone around and never drawing more than a cursory glance from them. He fit in... he knew what he was doing and he was no threat to them or anything they were partaking in. Why would they pay more attention to him? If only they knew what he was about to do to shake up their world...

Eventually, he reached the door that led to his destination. It was certainly an intimidating door - completely metal, with a big _Authorised Access Only_ sign adorning the front. It was this door that Isaac moved towards. He removed a keycard from his pocket and swiped it through the slot in the door once... and twice... and then a third time before it clicked open. He smirked at the success of his most recent purchase and stepped inside, closing the door behind him and leaving himself in total darkness.

And now they could go ahead with Project Mayhem, as Jenna had dubbed their plan after a movie she saw once. Isaac grinned and felt around behind him for the light switch, flicking it on. He inspected the keycard for a moment... it was matte black and felt heavy in his hands, clearly metallic. And within it was coded a string of most useful tools... the first swipe was akin to running a magnet through a cardkey's memory, effectively destroying the code, then the second replaced the empty memory with a new code... and the third transmitted that code and opened the door. Not only did it get him in, but it denied all other access... so he was alone in here until they forced the door in. Content in his safety for the time being, he slid the card back into his pocket and studied the room before him.

The curiously dim lighting overhead revealed a sizable mainframe computer - it was easily as tall as he was, and took up a considerable amount of space in the small room. Most TV companies had their own methods of providing their services to the world, usually a server which collected and focused the broadcasts of all the computers in the network. Some places had multiple servers as a failsafe... Alhafra, on the other hand, had just the one computer that was standing before him now. Although there were workarounds to divert the individual data to the broadcast antennas, as long as this mainframe was up and running then they were completely redundant. He was at the entertainment hub of the city... a thought which sent an excited chill through him.

Once again, Isaac thanked whatever powers existed for bringing him to Jenna, then he set his bag down. Pulling his laptop out and finding an open slot in the network router, he powered up and got to work.

_Run Security_

_Run Countersecurity_

_Run ServerConfigure_

And just like that, his laptop came to life and began its pre-programmed mission. For ease of use, he'd set command prompts to run a whole string of programs and macros of commands all at once. Those few little keystrokes, and now Isaac was ready. It took a few moments to properly bring up all the information, but soon...

A list of every computer connected to the building's network appeared, along with confirmations that his computer was now protected... and the security cameras watching him now replayed the same broadcast they'd had ten minutes ago over and over. Nobody of them could pick up his presence, even if they were looking for him, but through his links he could see everything all the computers were doing, and - with some effort - control them all if he wished. But that wasn't quite what he wanted... he didn't need the computers themselves.

They were free to broadcast all they wanted, but as long as this server was only receiving the one set of information, that's all it would transmit. And that would keep the automatic failsafes from kicking in. He just needed to shut out all the other details and let Jenna have her fun.

A quick glance over the information quickly showed him which processes filed all the information to the satelitte antennas, so he quickly worked to isolate those and set up a program to disregard all outgoing data at a command from all but his source. Isaac paused, then grinned and altered his program slightly. When it was ready, he nodded to himself and fished through his bag for his communicator. He also brought up a small portable TV... he wanted to watch what was about to happen, after all.

_Run Messenger_

"Jenna, you ready?" He typed.

Only a short moment passed before the reply - apparently she'd been ready and waiting. "I'm good to go. What's your status?"

"I've patched into the system now. I'll be able to deny it access to the usual transmissions easily enough, and then I should be able to send out yours. The problem is that they're sure to figure out that something is wrong fairly quickly and come to get me, so I don't know how long we'll be able to keep broadcasting. Thus, you'd better speak quickly."

"Gotcha. You'd better be ready to get out, too."

"Unfortunately, I can't... to keep it running I'll need to be watching it until the broadcast is over. I'm staying until you're done."

Her response was a long time in coming, and Isaac could practically feel her hesitation even from where he was.

"I'll be really quick, then. Collapse the hallway if they come to get you or something. And cut the broadcast if you have to... just get out safely. You hear me?"

"It's nice to know you care."

"I'm serious, Isaac."

"I know. I'll get out in time."

"Good... so, are you going to make me a star anytime soon, or what?"

He laughed. "Coming right up. Watch your TV screen for your cue. Signing out now."

_Close Messenger_

Isaac switched on the TV and flicked through the local channels. All running as they should. He then glanced over the computer activity on the network... all normal, nothing had located him and reported his presence on the server. So far so good... but that wouldn't last. He flexed his hand, absently feeling out for the little connection... the tenuous line between himself and world around him. And he found it quickly... something within him and within the very fabric of the earth around him answered his call. But he stopped, bade that it wait until his command.

He would likely need his Psynergy to get out of here. Despite his total lack of understanding about how it had come to him, he was now more than happy to have it there to serve him in such a situation. Weyard demanded its power, and he would answer.

Shaking his head as though to clear it of such thoughts, Isaac picked up his laptop and began.

_Run ProjectMayhemDestruction_

Moments passed, and then the TV screen turned to static before him. He grinned... all around Alhafra and all of Weyard, the Osenia Network ceased to exist. Anyone watching it would shortly be subject to their live program, which would at least show the Proxians that people were onto them... even if it did little else for now. Isaac felt his heart beat faster as he typed the next words. Now it was Jenna's turn...

_Run ProjectMayhemRestoration_

On his TV, the static disappeared and was quickly replaced by the video feed from the camera that he'd helped set up earlier. Before it sat Jenna, her face obscured by a pair of sunglasses identical to the ones Isaac wore. A yellow scarf was wrapped around her neck, and a Gatsby hat was perched on her head, concealing hair that had been hastily sprayed red. Although it was likely that Jenna's face was going to become well known after this, they had still taken steps to make her look less recognisable, and the results paid off well. It was kind of cute in a way, Isaac noted to himself.

Jenna smiled at the camera. "Hello there, viewers. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your normally scheduled programs, but as it turns out, a considerable emergency is taking place in Weyard at the moment and I feel it's my duty as a responsible citizen to inform you all about it. See, I've had the bad luck to be caught up in it personally and very nearly got killed from it. And I won't be the first if it carries on. Pay attention, please - I promise this won't take long, and then you can go back to your life."

Isaac rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but grin at her image. Jenna seemed to be enjoying this already, judging by the way she put a dramatic spark to her sentences.

"First, I'm going to refer you to the recent incident that took place in Madra at one of the primary police stations in the city. It was all in the news so I'm sure you heard about it, but let me recap... the police station there quickly became a blazing inferno and the vast majority of officers there were trapped and ultimately ended up injured or dead. About the time the firefighting team arrived, a Proxian man stepped out of the building and then proceeded to attack the crowd. Many more were injured there by what was presumed to be explosives - at least, that was what was claimed. There were no reports of shrapnel or incineration amongst those attacked - just burn wounds, as if from fire. Explosives weren't involved, and the man carried no weapons... victims say that the flames seemed to come from his hands. Something that he conjured himself, as if psionic. But this is something that hasn't been widely mentioned or reported, because it's impossible. How could it be impossible, though, when everyone saw it happen?"

Jenna held a hand to the camera. "I know, sanctioning such an idea probably makes me sound crazy. Listening to it myself, I feel the same way. But if everyone saw it, how could it be anything less than the truth? Don't let anyone tell you any differently... the man somehow conjured fire. However, allow me to continue..." Lowering her hand, she glanced to her side quickly before facing the camera again. "Now, this same man quickly fled and has yet to be recovered. However, a noticable increase in the presence of Proxian ships and planes with official government sanction was noticed in the days following... as if they were searching for him, or perhaps conducting a clean up operation. Whether or not this man is a rogue or not is questionable, however, Prox definitely was active in the area... which would hint at their involvement, somehow."

Footsteps just outside the door dragged Isaac from the report, and he cursed quietly to himself. They were already on to him... He heard a click, and then the faint sound of a keycard being used. Then a faint curse as nothing happened, and another attempt.. nothing. His little alteration would keep them busy for now, but it wouldn't last. They'd be able to just open it up and hotwire it with some time.

"How do I know about all this, though? Well, I have a personal interest in it... given that I'm part of a hacking organisation that, until just a couple of days ago, was investigating Prox and their scientific experiments after a number of incidents were reported in their country and surrounding territories. We had records of it, and even managed to intercept and rescue an innocent victim who had been experimented on." Jenna sighed. "I say a couple of days ago, though, because the same man who was seen attacking the crowds at Madra was later found in Alhafra, where my organisation was based. Along with an accomplice - a female Proxian, who was likely involved in extracting him from Madra. They attacked the building where we were operating from, wrecking much of it and killing a number of my comrades. Not only that... but the woman that accompanied him was conjuring the same fires that he was. I've gone to hiding alone and I don't know if I'll find the others again, which is why I'm releasing this information to you, the public, now. In case... in case anything happens to me."

Obviously it was a lie, but one that Jenna had felt necessary. She might have been seen as more vulnerable alone, but she would also be seen as less of a threat... what could just one person do against an entire country? And her delivery was excellent... it might have just allowed people to think of her in a sympathetic light. Isaac also imagined it was done to protect him, but he hadn't voiced that concern.

The noises outside were joined by yells... apparently somebody was calling for the emergency cards. That wouldn't be good... he required a little more security. Standing up, Isaac focused for a moment, and immediately the Psynergy answered him, shimmering faintly around him like rings of energy before dropping to the floor and running like a wave to the doorway. Instantly, the entire door seemed to grow in its frame, the metal expanding outwards and filling up the doorway until it fused with the wall itself, becoming a featureless plate. A few stunned exclamations were heard - muffled, now - from the other side, prompting a satisfied smirk from Isaac.

"Speaking of which... if the Alhafran police are watching this, you might want to see if any Proxian ships have been seen in your waters lately? Because one of them likely contains the mystery Proxian attacker, and catching him would likely do wonders for helping Weyard. Just bring ablatives, though... he nearly left me in ashes." She grinned, and Isaac could almost swear she winked underneath the sunglasses. "But I digress. What is this guy doing? I'm not sure, but I get the feeling he's putting down any kind of resistance against the Proxian work. My group is understandable, and perhaps the Madran police ended up wandering across something they shouldn't have? I'm not really sure, it's not something we were able to discover before being put out of commission."

A few noises were heard against the metal 'door', as if they were trying to force it. By the sounds of it, they weren't going to get far, but there was a considerable clamour outside... he'd likely drawn a huge amount of attention. It wouldn't be long before they found a way in, and they might already be working to seal the building off. Isaac sighed, tapping in the few commands that would end the broadcast as needed. One more button was all it would take to set it off, but this had to be finished first.

"So, what does this one crazy guy have to do with Prox? Well, given the fact that the country seems to be a lot more active just prior to and shortly after these attacks, it would be a good sign that something is going on there." Jenna shrugged. "What would that be? Well, I suspect that since both this man and his female accomplice were conjuring flames out of nowhere, it's probably some kind of weapons experiment. A really strange one, since I didn't see any weapons... but there was fire all the same and it nearly burnt me too. Even if it isn't anything quite like that, the fact of the matter remains - the Proxians are still out there and they're still attacking people."

_Hurry up, Jenna..._ Isaac thought to himself as the bashing was getting more insistent. Apparently they were trying to break the door down, and he didn't know how long his Psynergy would hold. Granted, it was a solid slab of metal there now... but tha

"Pass me off for a conspiracy theorist all you want, but just keep in mind... this message is being broadcast live on a number of channels right now." Another lie, but it still helped to grab attention. "I may be on my own, but I do have some talents, and I wouldn't waste those on mere practical jokes. Everything I said here is true and you'd be best to be wary. Keep an eye on the situation... Prox is up to something big, and the last thing I would want to see is a second war. Be vigilant." She tipped her hat slightly. "Thank you for your time, Weyard. With luck you won't have to see me again."

She nodded and reached her hand to the camera, obscuring the view as if to switch it off. Isaac took that as the cue to kill the feed. Once more his TV turned to static, and he quickly pocketed the device and set about switching off his laptop and heading out. The noises were getting pretty insistent, and even if they had no means to get to him - that he was aware of - it still unnerved him. He didn't have time to set the network back to normal... he'd just have to let them fix it. It might keep viewers thinking over what they'd heard a little longer, though.

Feeling the slight thrill of success, he hastily packed everything into his bag and then looked around. Focusing his Psynergy again, he thrust an arm out at one of the walls, and it exploded outwards in a hail of bricks and mortar. The walls were thick - the server room was on the edge of the building, and thus it would have been easy to vandalise if such protections weren't in place. Isaac mused to himself how simple it had been to knock it open as he called the Psynergy once more, and gradually a spire of rock shot up out of the earth to meet him, all this way up. With a flick of his hands and a mere thought, the top of the pillar became flat, allowing Isaac to stand on it. Then he braced himself before releasing the energy, gradually descending like an elevator.

Flicking his sunglasses on once more, Isaac leapt off the pillar when it was close to ground level and began running even as it continued to descend, finally sinking back into the earth. When the people working at the Osenia Network finally got into their server room, nothing remained of Isaac except the rubble that was left at his departure.

Mission successful.

- - - - -

Menardi sighed, folding her arms impatiently and drumming her fingers against her forearms. Ever since her Psynergy infusion she had found herself becoming more and more restless. She was agitated easily, she was quickly becoming impatient, and most important... she got bored at the first sign of inactivity. Granted, she had caught on to the habits and was gradually getting herself to calm down, citing them as mild side effects of the genetic manipulation she'd been subject to.

Of course, that didn't make her any less bored in the meantime.

She sat in the opulent waiting room of the Tolbi palace, awaiting her appointment with Lord Babi. She'd been waiting there for some time now, having been promised a swift appointment, and yet now she had been delayed... apparently something urgent had come up and Babi was regretfully forced to keep her waiting and so on and so forth. It was more than likely just designed to get her riled up and allow him to prepare for whatever she was about to throw at him. After all, in this day and age, nobody dealt lightly with Prox.

Gazing around the waiting room once more, Menardi sighed. It was opulent enough... the furnishings were all of the highest quality from all around the world. Silk from Kalay, oak from Kolima, carpets from Xian, all of it extraordinary beautiful and hinting faintly towards hedonism. Well, Tolbi was a rich region, having sole rights to nearly everything produced in and around the Karagol Sea, so she supposed it was used to make visiting dignitaries feel inferior and let them know just how much they might have to offer to gain Tolbi's attention.

Menardi had to stifle laughter. Well, she wasn't offering him riches, but her trump card was something that he would likely cooperate to achieve. Proxian spies had given her as much information as they could on the man, and had advised her on how to handle this. Given the fact that she also had Alex's ear and was one of the most proven Adepts that Prox had, she was a shoe-in for this mission.

But no-one had mentioned the waiting. She _hated_ the waiting, especially in this dress. Not to mention the elaborate appearance alterations. Menardi glanced down at the incredibly formal red dress that she was wearing. Just wearing it felt oppressing... she had no problem whatsoever with wearing dresses, but this just felt too showy. All appearance, no substance. And she liked red, but this just seemed so glossy and vibrant that aircraft flying overhead were probably able to pick it out in the distance. She shifted in her wait, hatred rising in her for this waiting.

And now she was thinking to herself about her dress...

"Heaven help me, I'm turning into Karst," Menardi muttered dejectedly.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked curiously, and the Proxian woman had to force herself not to start as she straightened, facing the sound. Babi's right-hand man stood in the doorway to the throne room, looking at her curiously. His name was Iodem if memory served. "Is something the matter, Lady Menardi?"

"Oh, no, not at all." She quickly shook her head, absently feeling every little strand of blonde hair that had been brushed and straightened and styled to give her the well-prepared and pampered look that was required for her job as a dignitary. _If only Saturos could see me now..._

"Well then, if you're ready, Lord Babi will see you now."

Menardi nodded and stood, trying not to look too relieved as she moved briskly to the door. Iodem opened it wider and stepped back to allow her room to enter, and finally she bore witness to the place where Tolbi was run.

In comparison to the lavishly decorated sitting room right outside, Babi's office was practically bare. The furniture was all functional and well-used as opposed to glossy and brilliant, while the walls were decorated in part by a simple television screen. The rest of the space was taken up not with ornaments, but instead with writings. Sheets upon sheets of paper were framed on the wall, and at a cursory glance seemed to show off the various things that Babi had seen and accomplished in his considerable lifetime. They ranged from newspaper articles to university diplomas to pictures of the man in various places with various people.

A considerable lifetime it was, and that fact was made clear to the visiting Proxian as soon as she beheld Babi proper. Behind the old wooden table sat an even older man, his face lined with age and his otherwise violet hair graying at the temples. Most noticable about him were his eyes, though - Menardi instantly made eye-contact, noting the experience and wisdom within them. This man had ruled Tolbi for the better part of his natural life, and it was clear that he had become exceedingly efficient at it.

Pulling the hem of her dress aside lightly, Menardi curtseyed before Babi. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Lord Babi. My name is Menardi."

"Yes, Iodem has informed me. You can dispense with all the pleasantries if you want... I apologise for keeping you waiting and won't delay you in your business any further." He gestured to the chair before him, and Menardi sat, even though her muscles had already begun to ache in the sitting room from being in one place for too long.

Behind them, Iodem closed the door and took up position in front of it, and only then did Menardi speak. "In that case, I'll get straight to the point, sir. The people of Prox wish to work with you on a certain endeavour that we plan to undertake in the immediate future."

Babi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of endeavour would that be?"

"Why, assisting you with your lighthouse of course." Menardi leaned back in her chair. "You are currently in the process of working with Lalivero to establish a monumental lighthouse on the coast, which will make some of the shipping between Gondowan, Angara, and Lemuria better. It's a considerable enterprise, however, but given that it will also benefit the trade routes in the waters that connect to Prox... well, we're inclined to assist in the matter as a result. We are more than happy to provide additional labourers and resources to the project."

"Interesting." Babi considered that for a moment. "And what kind of assistance would you be requesting in return for this boon? I doubt you're merely here to give a gift."

The Proxian smiled. "In return for our aid, we wish to gain access to some of the land around the Suhalla Desert. There are a few mostly untapped areas of geological interest in the mountains there, and we want to establish a small presence there to conduct some tests and see if there's anything of use there."

Babi studied her for a moment before looking up at the ceiling, as if weighing the values of the trade. Then he shook his head slowly. "I don't think you're an idiot, Lady Menardi, which is why I will simply remind you that everything east of Suhalla belongs to Lalivero. Not Tolbi."

She nodded. "Of course. But Prox's relationship with Lalivero isn't very strong, compared to our relationship with you... and your relationship with them. We would like you to secure the land from Lalivero's ownership, so that we might borrow it off you."

The old man raised both eyebrows this time. "That's a very outlandish proposal you're making. And it'll take more than building a simple lighthouse to pay for the acquisition of such land, as I'm sure you're aware. I certainly hope you're going to offer more than that. If not, the door is behind you."

"There is more to the proposal, naturally. We wouldn't ask you to go out of your way for such a small tithe." Menardi leaned in towards the table, recalling the promises that Alex instructed her to make. "Not to be disrespectful, Lord Babi, but you are growing older and time is ever moving forward. However, Proxian research is moving smoothly in a number of fields... one of which is designed to forestall just such aging. We believe we may even be onto so-"

Babi stood up suddenly, forcing Menardi into sudden silence. His eyes were alive and studying her all the closer, making her wonder if he was insulted or merely curious. "Lady Menardi, I am not a fool. I have not lived as long as I have without picking up on a few things. As of late, Prox is steadily losing favor with the rest of Weyard after a certain incident in Madra occurred, which is why you're coming to me and not to Lalivero directly. You think you can offer me extended life as a personal gift in exchange for my aid. Well... I say prove it."

The Proxian tilted her head slightly. "Prove what? That we can make you young again? That's hardly in my power."

"But, surely you can provide more information into the actions of a certain Proxian man in Madra recently..."

"What can we provide?" Menardi forced herself not to hesitate as she spoke of Saturos... she still wasn't even sure if he was alive and safe yet. "The man had no official affiliation with Prox. Just because he was born there, does not mean he served at the bidding of our government. Who knows what his motivation was? Until they catch him, we won't know."

"What about his methods, then?" Babi smiled sincerely. "I can hear it in your voice, Lady Menardi. You are not telling me everything."

Menardi began to laugh. Babi was incredibly shrewd. Had Alex not expected such a situation to come about and warned her, she probably would have been caught off guard by his antics. Babi was a known historian - in his youth and amidst all his leadership, he had a keen interest in unearthing the relics of the past and their various stories. He had spent much time in archaeological digs across Weyard, notably in places like Hesperia and Lemuria, locations which were filled with ancient history. Alex had suggested that Psynergy was well known in the past, and so he might even have heard of it, if only in passing or as a hint in some ancient writing.

If he was asking about Saturos' methods, well... he obviously knew that he was using more than just regular firearms or explosives. Alright... she'd play his game. Alex had given her permission to tell him about the basics, anyway.

Glancing back at Iodem, who still remained at the door impassively, Menardi folded her arms. "Do you think his methods were peculiar? He used fire."

"But he did not spark the fire by conventional methods." Babi's smile was still firmly locked in place. "And you know what he did. If you inform me, then I'll consider your request. Otherwise, as I said before, the door is behind you."

"As you wish." Leaning back once more, Menardi brought her hand up to flick her hair away. Then, with a snap of her fingers, a small ball of fire sparked into existence a mere inch above her digits. "Or... perhaps I'll show you myself?"

Noting that Babi's face was sliding into a look of shock and that Iodem had just gasped, Menardi continued. Batting her hand upwards, the ball of flame arced into the air, and she brought her other hand up to "catch" it as it fell. Spreading her fingers and letting the flames grow bigger as she did so, she then thrust her hand at the wall nearby, releasing the flame towards it. Mere inches before it made contact, her other hand came up in a stop gesture, and the fire began to hang in the air for a moment.

Babi had slumped back into his chair, looking at the ball of fire with a mix of shock and curiosity. Flicking her hand back once again, the flames retreated to it, and then for one final show she grabbed the ball and struck it against her chest. She let the quivering ball of Psynergy remain there for a moment before snuffing it out, pulling her hand back to reveal unburnt clothes.

"Long ago," Menardi said quietly, "most of the humans of Weyard possessed this kind of incredible power that we now call Psynergy. Today it is only artificially inserted into humans, but it still exists in a form. And I will be completely honest - the land we are analysing for takeover is one which possesses the qualities that allows Psynergy to occur naturally. With that land, we can continue our experiments and eventually allow this gift to flourish as the world originally intended. And we need your assistance to secure that." She glanced at Iodem for a moment, delighting in seeing his usually taciturn features transformed into a look of shock and wonder. "There are always some who don't accept what we're doing and try to cause trouble for everyone, and thus we have the situation in Madra."

Meeting Babi's wide-eyed gaze with hers, Menardi smiled. "That said, your assistance would go to providing us with more Psynergy to experiment with and eventually manipulate as I have today. And our researchers assure me that the healing powers of some Psynergy is like nothing we've seen even with our technology... it could be used to cure diseases and conditions that we can't treat yet, and might even be used to cheat death itself. And we might be inclined to share it, if you can help us."

Leaning back in her chair, Menardi held out a hand casually. "What say you?"

Babi composed himself, quickly looking taciturn as he considered it. But the Proxian already knew that she'd made her point. After a few long moments, Babi leaned forward but did not extend his hand.

"Alright... return to Prox and tell your superiors that I will consider their proposal and contact them with my decision in the near future. However... do tell them that I am leaning favorably in their direction." The old man looked tired suddenly, as if such a display had sapped him of his strength. Yet at the same time, his wisdom-filled eyes seemed to be filled with a faint hope.

Menardi nodded. "I shall convey them your message, Lord Babi. Is there anything else?"

"Unless you have nothing further to add, that is all for now. Thank you for your time, Lady Menardi. We will likely meet again in the future." Sitting back in his chair, he nodded to Iodem, who opened the door behind her.

"With luck, we shall be in contact soon enough. A pleasure to meet and discuss this with you, Lord Babi." She stood up and curtseyed once more, spinning on her heel with practiced military precision and stepping past Iodem to the waiting room beyond. From there, she would find her way out of the Tolbi palace and return to the Proxian embassy. She'd best be in contact with Alex as soon as possible to discuss the situation and figure out their next move.

More than anything else, though, Menardi was thankful for the chance to return to her room at the embassy so she could shed this irritating dress.

- - - - -

When Menardi was gone, Iodem closed the door once more and broke into a smile. Stepping forward, he casually placed himself in the recently vacated chair before his master. "Well acted, Lord Babi."

"You too, Iodem." Babi smiled. "I get the feeling she wasn't aware of the news program we just witnessed..."

"She was here in the waiting room when it aired, so she had no way of knowing. However, she'll likely find out soon enough. Do you really think we can trust them, given what we heard? We saw that they're developing powers, and that's reason enough to believe that the speaker was telling the truth." Iodem rubbed his face, contemplating the situation.

"Truthfully, no, I don't think they can be trusted." The older man sighed. "They may be willing to work with us for a time, and may even share with us a fragment of their project... but we are not true allies and they will likely not give us the respect of allies either. At the most opportune moment for them, they will turn their backs on us."

"What should we do, then?"

There was a long pause before Babi smiled. "We don't let them get a clear shot at our back, naturally. We'll take their alliance for now... and we'll just have to tiptoe very carefully around them and see what we can gain from it." He winked at his subordinate. "After all, we could likely learn a wealth of information from the land that we acquire for them. Who knows... perhaps we can learn all about this Psynergy ourselves, and then dealing with Prox might not be as big a deal as we think..."

- - - - -

Agatio suddenly wished he was back at the Imil Base.

He stood at the pinnacle of Jupiter Lighthouse in Alex's office, his back to the door and his eyes glued to the large screen that dominated the far wall of the room. It was a considerably impressive piece of technology, and it was split up into smaller screens by seamless markers that allowed it to show several feeds at once. In his brief stay here, Agatio had watched Alex work with practiced agility, often displaying several feeds at once depicting events and movements all around Weyard. He prided himself on his up-to-date information, and assured his subordinates that everything major that happened in the world very quickly found its way to him.

Unfortunately, today that was not a good thing. And Agatio could only imagine the wrath he was about to bear witness to.

At the desk before him, Alex had swivelled his chair around to watch the screen. For now, there was only one item playing on the wall - a video that had very quickly taken Weyard by storm. Somehow, somebody had hacked into a TV station at Alhafra and broadcast this instead - a speech that suggested that Project Psynergy was compromised far more severely than any of the Proxians had dared to imagine.

"Keep an eye on the situation... Prox is up to something big, and the last thing I would want to see is a second war. Be vigilant." The upstart teenager that was the source of Agatio's hesitation tipped her hat in what was almost a mocking gesture to those who she declared her enemies. "Thank you for your time, Weyard. With luck you won't have to see me again."

And then she switched off her camera and the feed turned to static. The video was incredibly new - several of Alex's operatives had reported it to him and transmitted a copy. And already it seemed to be creating a stir... the Osenia Network had been forced to put a represenative on the air explaining that their station had been infiltrated by a skilled group of practical jokers, and that the situation was completely under control. Everything had been dealt with, the authorities had been contacted, and the people of Weyard were not to be alarmed. But that had never stopped the average citizen...

Even in the short time that had passed since the footage was aired, there was a considerable amount of activity springing up on the Net regarding it. People were seeking authenticity, or a way to contact the girl involved, or claiming they had their own experiences with Proxians that were similar... countless discussions were in place already and that would only grow. No matter how seriously people were taking it, the attentino was still a serious issue.

Alex suddenly picked up a remote control and switched the screen off. With deliberate slowness and a casual air, he turned his chair around to face Agatio. Oddly enough, his face was a complete mask of calm, and that worried Agatio far more than any rage ever would have.

"Alright, you saw that. What do you make of it?" Alex's calm blue-eyed stare made Agatio twitch nervously.

"Uh... well... it's fairly obvious, isn't it? One of the hackers that have been biting at our heels has made a statement about our operations to bring the people of Weyard against us."

"And no matter how dubious, that will probably succeed. It's already succeeding... by discussing it amongst themselves, that draws attention to Project Psynergy, and that eventually draws official investigations." Alex pushed himself out of his chair and casually crossed the floor to stand before Agatio, spinning back to face the screen and turning it on again with a button press on the remote he carried. Another button, and the video began to play itself again, once again revealing the teenager. She wasn't stupid - she'd at least attempted to make herself unrecognisable, obscuring her face with sunglasses, hair dye, and a hat. But it wouldn't do much if she'd been seen by someone before...

The penny dropped. Agatio _had_ seen her before.

"I know her... she's one of the three that managed to get inside Imil Base."

"Now you get it." Alex smiled, but the smile was so cold that Agatio had to force himself not to twitch again. "That girl knows what she's talking about. She's been in our bases, she's accessed our networks, stolen information, and has been witness to a number of our plans, procedures, and actions around Weyard. And if that last account is true - that Saturos and Karst recently destroyed her hacking group and that she's been in direct contact with them - it could prove to be a danger to them, and to the entire Project in general."

Agatio paused. "Is it true?"

"It's very true. I received a report from Felix a couple of days ago - he retrieved the pair from Alhafra, injured and shaken but otherwise okay. They had indeed infiltrated a base of hackers and were in the process of destroying it, but they were then countered by two people who were using Mercury Psynergy. One of which just happened to be a Lemurian Agent known as Piers, and the other being the Stage Two experimentee that was taken from Imil Base."

Now the big Proxian wasn't sure if he was really hearing things correctly. Mercury Psynergy? There were hardly any doses of that in the quantities needed for Stage Two, and yet two of them had occurred in the same place? And... Piers? Struggling to think for a moment, Agatio recalled the Agent that had escaped from Prox itself with a sample of Psynergy... apparently he'd managed to find a way to manifest it in himself.

"Furthermore," Alex continued, "they did encounter another Adept in the building, this one using Venus Psynergy. They killed him - brought the entire roof down on his head - but it's still a troubling situation. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that we simply don't have any Venus Psynergy available besides the dose we commandeered for Felix's tests - the only known sources are in the Izumo area, and they simply aren't being cooperative. The sources near Lalivero and other places in Angara are all far too weak to give anything more than Stage One doses. Yet... one of them was there, somehow."

Alex's voice rose now, making Agatio flinch. "AND, as if all that wasn't enough, another person who just happened to have seen the Imil Base - and who has copies, albeit encrypted, of everything relating to the Mercury Lighthouse - is ALSO there, and is ALSO making life difficult for us, and who ALSO goes on television and lets _all of Weyard know what's going on!_"

His composure lost, the Lemurian turned and threw the television remote at the wall, shattering it into a dozen pieces. Staring angrily at them as if they were all his enemies, Alex thrust his hands out... and began to use Psynergy. Staring in awe, Agatio stepped back as the telltale rings of energy seemed to shimmer into being around his superior. Before him, blades of ice took shape before raining down on the wreckage, thoroughly obliterating it.

"A-Alex, when did you get Psynergy?!" Agatio demanded.

Shooting an annoyed glance at him, Alex returned to his chair. "A good leader leads from the front, by example. Given that the Mercury Psynergy was supposed to be only available in small amounts for now, I thought it would be a fitting ability for me to possess. I had the procedure done immediately after yours... I just never had the need to use it previously."

Spinning to face the deactivated screen, Alex began to brood. Hesitating, Agatio pondered if it would be best to leave now or best to wait for orders... however, he wasn't left thinking for long.

"It seems like a remarkable coincidence that every little mistake we've made during this entire endeavours has all come together at one place, at one time." Alex began to count off on his fingers. "The escape of Piers... the two infiltrations of Imil Base, including Mia's escape... the incident in Madra leading to Saturos' disappearance... and now the failure to deal with all three of them effectively. It just goes to show... you cannot make a single mistake, and if you must make a mistake then you had best deal with it as quickly as possible."

Slumping back in his chair, Alex sighed heavily. He sounded exhausted, as if the weight of everything he was doing was beginning to drag him down. He was a powerful and intelligent figure, but Agatio knew all the same that he was still only human. Even he could make mistakes, and even he was prone to the emotions and failings of everyone else.

"What do we do then, sir?" Agatio asked, forcing himself to calmness now. His superior needed a loyal officer to help him get through this, no doubt.

Alex was silent for a moment. Then he turned around again and reached into his desk, pulling free another remote control and switching on the screen again. A few button presses later, and a map of Weyard took up the screen. Another press, and a number of dots appeared. They were scattered across the globe, sparingly in some places but very numerous wherever large concentrations of people were situated. He stared at the screen for a few seconds before speaking again. "Agatio, I'm sure you're well aware of what these markers signify?"

"That would be... the location of every Stage One person?"

"Correct. And you're well aware of what Stage Three entails, right?"

"Using the Lighthouses for their intended purposes?"

"Very good." Standing up and walking back to him again, Alex's face was once more a perfect mask of calm composure. "Currently, Mercury and Mars Lighthouses are being constructed and are well on their way, while the Venus Lighthouse is still in negotiations... though with luck Menardi will have that cleared up soon enough. Jupiter Lighthouse is the only one usable at the moment, so that's what we're going to use. It's time to test this building, I think."

With that, he sidestepped the larger Proxian and moved out of his office, gesturing casually for Agatio to follow. Doing as bade, the two men walked into the hallway and to the stairwell, nodding to the Proxian guards as they climbed up to the Eyrie. Once again, Agatio found himself caught off-guard by how stark the open chamber was - aside from the walls that acted as guardians against the wind, there was little beyond the machine suspended over the central obelisk. It was only his second time up here, and Agatio found his eyes wandering around it again, as if looking for something more that was obscured from his sight here. The room just seemed too plain, too empty and barren for what was supposed to be the epicentre of the quake that was about to strike Weyard with unprecedented power.

"Still enjoying the view?" Alex asked casually.

"It's one hell of a view, alright..." Even situated as high up in the Attekan mountain range as the Lighthouse was, that alone was enough to give anyone looking out a good view of the better parts of the jagged region. It was a beautiful sight, if not as barren as the Eyrie. If one looked close enough they could see the beginnings of a river in a valley below, which would ultimately weave its way out and into the plains that surrounded the city of Contigo, as well as every other smaller city and community within Atteka.

"It's a good place to just look out and think over things," the Lemurian mused, moving precariously close to the edge and leaning on the bannister that stood between him and a twenty storey plummet. "And that means a good place to ponder the political ramifications of what just happened. I may not be the leader of Prox, but Puelle is currently depositing just about everything he has at my feet due to the promises and the power I've given him. So it's only fair that I give him the advice he needs on his actions to better see through the coming trials of your fair empire."

Something in his tone made Agatio wary. Ever since this entire ordeal had begun, none of the Proxians had truly trusted Alex completely. He had come out of practically nowhere, betraying a lucrative career and salary with the Lemurian Navy in the hopes of instead restoring Prox to power. And he had the knowledge of long lost ancient powers and weapons to back up his claims, which had quickly enticed the Proxian leadership into proving himself. And he very quickly had, unearthing the Psynergy producing bacteria and the technology and procedures needed to use it. His claims were proven in mere days, and pretty soon the entire nation was all dedicated to seeing Alex's plans come to fruition.

But what was in it for him? He rarely if ever talked about himself and his desires, and the only apparently personal request he'd ever made was that the one Imilian girl be processed ahead of time. Nothing more. Agatio was fairly sure that there were few in Prox who trusted him completely... especially not the four Mars Adepts who had first undergone the procedure.

"And what advice would that be?" Agatio asked after a few moments.

"Weyard will be expecting a response from Prox on this situation. Some kind of declaration denouncing the acts and words of this woman, just as we had to theoretically cut loose Saturos to placate them." Alex tapped his lips with a finger, still deep in thought. "Of course, that didn't go so well, because as she so casually pointed out, our actions in the areas did continue. After all, we couldn't abandon Saturos. He's too good a soldier, and it would have made Menardi and Felix unusable for a time. Plus there's a wealth of information he has that could quite easily fall into the wrong hands - and very nearly did, if the reports from Karst and Felix are anything to go by."

"We both know that," Agatio said, folding his arms. "What about now, though? This little hacker girl isn't one of ours."

"Well, we need to eliminate her if possible." He glanced over his shoulder to the bigger Proxian. "And all the backup that she has, despite the fact that she said she's alone. A mistake has been made and now we need to correct it immediately."

"What makes you think she isn't?"

"The ploy was too intricate... her methods too advanced and convuluted for just one person to have accomplished in real time with so much aplomb. This is especially true, given the time frame - she did it all in only two or three days. Plus there were signs in her expression and mannerisms that she wasn't always truthful about that. Perhaps she's protecting someone... who knows. Either way, we need to get some agents into Alhafra - as few as possible, I might add - and see that she doesn't come on the air again." Alex drummed his fingers against the side of the Lighthouse. "And as for an official response..."

Seconds passed, and then he shook his head. "No response."

"What? How do you expect Puelle to explain this if he doesn't make an official statement?"

Alex wordlessly pulled back from the edge and moved to the machine in the centre of the room of the Eyrie, circling it once and nodding as if assuring himself that it would all work smoothly.

"I haven't told you what the Lighthouses are intended for... just that they are at the core of Stage Three." Alex reached into a pocket on his coat, pulling out what looked almost like a black jewellery case. "Well, Stage Three is where all our previous little actions come together. Those with weak doses of unusable Psynergy from Stage One will be brought to their full potential once the Lighthouse is activated, and that will throw the world into disarray long enough for us to get into position and take over with what we accomplished in Stage Two."

Agatio nodded, though still didn't truly understand. But... with a growing sense of anticipation, he realised that he would very shortly find out. And it might mean that their hard work was finally coming to fruition, meaning that Prox would no longer be the laughing stock of Weyard... they would rise up and seize their rightful place once more. The second Proxian war was about to begin... and he was one of the lucky ones who would bear witness to its workings and their ultimate victory.

"Of course, to do that, I'm going to have to lay a trap for all those rats gnawing at my hills. And the tastiest cheese to use is a hint of Psynergy with our involvement surrounding it... that will have them coming to investigate it, and then when they're all where we want them... we can end their interference once and for all. And in the process, we'll answer that Prox is not afraid to show itself when accused, and we won't back down from our rightful claims." His smile was so sincere that for a moment, Agatio almost forgot that he wasn't actually Proxian.

Opening the case before him, Alex revealed a fist-sized purple sphere. With extreme care, the Lemurian turned back to the machine and gently placed the item in a spherical slot at the very top. Latching it securely in place, he moved back and began flicking a few switches. All around them and right down to the very foot of the Lighthouse, a faint buzzing of energy could suddenly be felt.

"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Alex mused quietly to Agatio. "And yet, that one little item is the focal point for all the Psynergy contained within the building and all the deposits below it. That Jupiter Star is able to focus Jupiter Psynergy that passed through it. Thus, if you run a large current of Psynergy through it - hence the obelisk - it will amplify its effects somewhat, and also direct them at a far greater range than any normal Adept would be able to do. You can't make a volcano in Gondowan erupt with your powers, but when it's ready, the Mars Lighthouse just might."

"So... does that mean... this entire building is a giant Psynergy cannon?" Agatio blinked. It was the only explanation he could give to such a thing.

Alex simply smiled. "In a way... but not as blatant a way as that. I'm sure with some time it could be changed to do such a thing... but we want to conquer the world, not obliterate it." That said, he continued altering the settings on the machine, flicking with switches and measuring gauges with considerable skill. Below, they could feel the entire tower start to vibrate slightly as the core of the structure came to life. The obelisk in the centre of the building was practically alive with power at the worst of times, but now Agatio could sense it building up, just waiting to be unleashed. Wind seemed to pick up around him, but he stood his ground and refused to be blown around by it. This was something that had never occurred before in the history of the world... it was something he wouldn't be distracted from seeing.

_"Attention," _Alex said, his voice now carried throughout the building via the intercom. _"Be advised that the Jupiter Lighthouse is about to activate. Please move to a safe distance from the central obelisk. You have one minute to comply." _Switching off the intercom, he glanced at Agatio. "The Mercury Lighthouse site is secure, correct?"

"As secure as it can be that close to Imil. But we're careful to keep all attention away from it."

"Good. Your people stationed there will likely have an interesting view in the coming hours..."

Still the energy picked up, to the point where bolts of electricity began to arc between the Eyrie and the obelisk below. Agatio braced himself, knowing that the energy given off was likely to be incredible. Watching Alex work, he saw the Lemurian shift the aim of the Lighthouse on a reduced scale map of Weyard. Finally, it came to rest on its target... Imil. Although Alex's words had led Agatio to expect this, it was still somewhat off-putting... he had expected the target to be Alhafra, in the hopes of eliminating whatever opposition still existed there. But then, that might have been a little too obvious.

He'd find out soon enough.

_"Jupiter Lighthouse firing in 3... 2... 1..."_

The energy buildup seemed to fall silent for a split instant, and the energy seemed to pause as if all the world around it had stopped.

_"Fire."_

And then it was unleashed, in a cascading wave of Psynergy that rolled out of the tower with incredible force, blasting at Alex and Agatio alike with raw energy. Staggering backwards slightly, Agatio was hit by a sudden wave of nausea, but the illness quickly passed... and the energy was gone. Just like that, the Lighthouse had activated and shut itself down again. And he hadn't seen a thing... nothing visible had occurred, just the blast of energy. Yet nothing had been tangible. It was

"...I must admit, I was expecting something flashier." Agatio looked at Alex, confused. "What just happened?"

Alex didn't answer immediately, instead choosing to reach up and unlatch the Jupiter Star - as he'd called it anyway. Replacing it in its case and putting that back within his coat, Alex finally turned to Agatio and directed a smile at him. "Come... let's go watch the news. It'll likely be on within an hour or two..."

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Long time coming, but hey... I feel it was a worthy wait. This was a fun one to write. Very soon you might all stop hating me for creatively with-holding information on the plot from you all... and then you'll likely start hating me for the plot twists I decide to bring into the mix. Ah well. Two shoutouts this time - the first is to the movie Fight Club, from where the name Project Mayhem came from. It's a fantastic movie, probably my favourite of all time, and it should be seen. The second is to the Temple of Kraden, the forum and community that single-handedly restored my love for the Golden Sun fandom. Seek them out of if you're interested in a forum full of crazies and random stuff... while still housing some awesome people.


	21. Turbulence

**Author's Notes: **Sorry guys, but I don't have a full chapter for you today. I tried to make my self-imposed deadline but ended up deleting far more than I wrote. In the end, even this scene required two beta-testers to read just to make sure I wasn't being too critical. I did try and time a release today, however, because today _**Project Psynergy turns 4 years old!**_ Not only does that make me old, but really, that's a long time to write this story... especially given that it really hasn't gotten as many chapters as I'd like. No matter. I'm going to go over it and spell/grammar check some of the previous chapters because they've had a few imperfections, and then I'll continue writing it. Four years... dang. I've had a lot of fun writing this story, though, so here's hoping there's more to come.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 17 Part 1 - Turbulence**

The tangled mess of cotton rose into the air, unfolded slightly, and then almost lazily drifted back down into her waiting hands. Sheba threw it up again, staring as the black fabric rose and fell each time. It was her only shirt, so it should really have remained on her body... but she was bored, and even if she wasn't actually doing anything, she could at least idly pretend that she was entertaining herself. Besides, Ivan was in his own hotel room. It's not like he or anyone else was watching.

It kept her from dwelling on her memories too much, anyway. Or rather... her lack thereof.

Damnit... now she was dwelling on them again. The shirt landed on Sheba's face unexpectedly, and she grumbled and tugged it back on. She could feel and smell the sweat in it and unconsciously remembered how long she'd been wearing it... it had been a long time since she'd woken up on the outskirts of Prox and bailed out. At least a week, probably more... she'd simply sailed aimlessly across the ocean until she'd run into Ivan. She'd had little sleep, not much in the way of food, and had few supplies and no personal belongings left... the fact that she was still going strong was a testament to her willpower.

But it showed. Dark rings had formed under her eyes, the pupils themselves were looking bloodshot, and she was incredibly bitey to everyone. Then again, the only one around who she spoke to was Ivan anyway, so it didn't matter too much... even with their alliance of convenience, she hadn't exactly grown fond of him in all these conditions. There'd been no time for friendships, it had all just been sailing and then finding a place to stay in Imil. Now that they were here, by some bizarre coincidence, one of Ivan's friends from far away was striking out at the Proxians over the television, and that had him all excited...

She didn't really get it too much, but then that was probably because Ivan hadn't really explained all his affairs yet. He was some kind of hacker, apparently, and the girl that had appeared on television was a friend of his, working on her own to stop the bad guys. Maybe he'd explain it later, but she had the feeling that Ivan didn't - and wouldn't - fully trust her. Still, he had said that apparently he was working against a Proxian experiment which Sheba had been caught up in. As far as she could remember, anyway. Which she couldn't. She knew her name... she'd been a prisoner in Prox... and she'd woken up on the beach near there, whereupon she'd luckily found a gun and had stolen one of the Proxian boats. That was the extent of her story, and it bugged her immensely that she knew nothing else about herself. Nothing at all.

Growling, Sheba pulled herself into a sitting position. No point in dwelling on that further, then. She'd been lucky... Ivan wanted to stop these days, and she wanted to stick back at them in any way she could. Well, she'd deal with Ivan for now. She could be his pocketknife or whatever he wanted, and eventually the memories would come to her. She hoped. For now, she needed to go out and get some new clothes so she could clean these ones. It wouldn't do any good to wander around naked, that's for sure. And some food wouldn't hurt...

She stood up hurriedly, then had to pause for a moment and grip the wall. Putting a hand to her head, she groaned as a sudden wave of dizziness overcame her. Wow... she was a lot more tired than she'd possibly imagined. She waited a moment, but the dizziness didn't seem to go away. Now her hands were starting to twitch and spasm. She looked at them stupidly, as if willing them to stop, but her appendages continued to shudder.

Was the window shaking...? In fact, was the whole ground shaking? Or was that just her head... starting to spin...

Without warning, Sheba found herself lying on her side, staring at the feet of the hotel table. Had she fallen? It was hard to tell, she was continuing to spin... something really weird was happening with her. Was she ill? Had she been drugged or something? What was going on?

"Ivan..." she breathed, cursing herself for her momentary weakness. She'd meant to call for help. So she did it louder this time... "IVAN!"

- - - - -

The sky was beginning to darken as Ivan watched. He was looking out the window at Imil again, once more considering his options. Now that he was here, he wanted to act out against the Proxians with just himself... well, Sheba too. But then, the outright success of Jenna on showing up on the television and denouncing Prox was too fruitful an opportunity to miss. Maybe if he got back on the boat and sailed back to Alhafra... but that was a long way away, and so much could go wrong with that. He was better off staying here for the time being...

It was late afternoon by now, and he'd been considering his options back and forth since the television appearance. Sheba had quickly retired to her room, curious at his involvement in the whole thing but a little too tired to remain active for now. Still, they needed to get out while the light was still present and at least prepare themselves for living in the short term. Casual clothing was the first order of business, as well as some food. Then he'd talk over what to do with Sheba... if they should do some damage in Imil, or go elsewhere.

A muffled voice caught his attention, and Ivan looked away from the window, towards the door of his hotel room. Sheba was in her own room, yet he could swear he heard his name being called... frowning, he decided to let his curiosity get the best of him. Moving towards the door, he slipped outside of his room, seeing nobody in the hall. Slipping over to Sheba's door, he knocked on it quietly. No point in being rude if she was asleep or something.

"Hey Sheba, you in there?"

A sudden premonition just struck... Ivan's heart started to beat faster. Something was wrong... very wrong.

"Sheba?"

Acting on instinct, Ivan threw himself to the side, just as the door was blasted off its hinges. The solid slab of wood blasted out into the hall and clattered to the opposite end of the passageway loudly, coming to a halt half-embedded in the opposite wall. Picking himself up from where he'd fallen prone, Ivan got back up and glanced into the suddenly open doorway, staring in disbelief.

Sheba was standing within there, twitching and shaking uncontrollably. She was staring at him, though somehow her gaze seemed to pass through as if she wasn't really paying attention. With an anguished cry, she clutched at her temples with still shaking hands. A glow seemed to grow there... her fingers arced with bolts of energy, and with another twitch she set them coursing around her arms. She sobbed, not in pain, but in confusion or something akin to it. With a snarl, she kicked her table over and lashed out at the air as if her fingers were claws, appearing as if she'd gone feral.

That didn't occur to Ivan, though. Only one thing was in on his mind, once the lightning energy appeared in her hands.

_She freaking has Psynergy!_

Ivan barely registered this thought before she thrust her arms forward in his direction, aiming for out the doorway. Once again he ducked back, and another surge of wind shot out into the hallway, rattling the doors along the passage with incredible force. Somehow, Sheba had gotten Psynergy... and now it seemed to be driving her insane.

A horrible chill came over him, and a sick feeling suddenly grew within Ivan's stomach. This was incredibly bad. Was this a side effect of Psynergy? Could it go awry... could the person lose control? Sheba had been drifting longer than he had... she'd probably been seeded with Psynergy some time ago, before she'd run away - or been cast adrift - from Prox. But did that mean that it was just a matter of time before he'd follow suit?

He could hear movement behind him. People had come to inspect the noise, by the sounds of it... Ivan glanced around, and the few people in the hallway looked back, apparently debating whether or not they should help him or take cover.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" The words rang through his skull, but they weren't Ivan's words. Sheba was screaming now, shrieking the word over and over at the top of her lungs. Lightning still coursed around her like a deadly veil, framing her body as she stepped forward and started hammering on the wall with her fists. It dawned on Ivan that he could barely hear the striking noises over the crackling of the electricity, but he could still see the walls began to crack and cave under her blows. Sheba wailed, and in an instant an arc of lightning shot from her, sailing through the air before it connected with the window.

There was barely even a noise as the window fell away, falling several storeys to the ground below. Immediately, the room was buffeted by heavy winds, forcing Ivan back to the ground. It was getting late in the day, and the breeze was blowing in from the ocean. The wind pushed at the young girl, but nothing seemed to faze her. Snarling and crying, she charged towards the open door, towards the rest of the hotel. To where Ivan waited. The other passersby quickly took cover, many of them making a beeline for the closest stairwell down to the ground floor. As he'd expected, Ivan was effectively alone.

He had to stop this craziness! Sheba was dangerous now, to herself and to everyone for miles around. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and reached deep within himself, calling on his own reserves.

There... his Psynergy was waiting for him. It answered the summons almost immediately, coalescing into a sphere of energy that floated in the air before him. The balled lightning started circling around Ivan for an instant, just as his ally - or his opponent, now - charged out of the door and towards him. Standing straight, Ivan thrust his hands towards her, and the lightning surged forward.

Sheba charged headfirst into the blast, not stopping until the two forces met. There was a crackling noise for a moment, but Ivan didn't hear it for long... the young woman's screams of pain and unrelenting fury took over as she backed away, clutching at her head. She gripped her hair tightly before yanking her hands away from her face, curiously revealing no blemishes or wounds. Ivan blinked. Had she suppressed it somehow?

Whether she had or not was too difficult to tell, but she responded in kind. Raising her fists, she thrust them into the air before her, and another arc of lightning formed and fired away towards Ivan.

Once more, he called the power within him. The Psynergy answered, reaching out to air around him and coercing it to his will. The air became a solid, taking on mass, and then was thrust before him to act as a barrier. And not a moment too soon... the electricity forced itself towards him and clashed against the air, sending a sudden spike of pressure through Ivan's mind as if attacking him directly. Gritting his teeth, he held his ground and kept his barrier of air strong, leaving the lightning hanging in mid-air for a moment before dissipating harmlessly. The pressure eased, but a dull ache remained where it had been... the force required to maintain this level of Psynergy was phenomenal. Surely the Proxians couldn't do it that well...

Without warning, the building began to rock. Ivan gasped and took a hurried step backwards, then found himself falling to a knee as his world began to shake. The trembling ended mere moments after it began, but he could hear chaos beyond the broken window... amidst the howling wind was the sound of an explosion, and the sound of alarms and sirens raging all across the city. And between all that and him was Sheba, who had toppled over completely. Her frenzy refused to die down, though, as she was twitching madly and clawing at the ground around her. Blood was leaking from her nose, and she was staring at the wall, breathing heavily. Suddenly, she thrashed again, and then she was staring at the ceiling and screaming in agony and hatred at it.

_What the hell is going on in this city?! _Ivan thought desperately, standing up straight and moving towards Sheba quickly.

"Snap out of this, damn you! I know you're still in there, come on!" He was standing over her now, too hesitant to come any closer but also too determined to turn and flee, even as the winds from within the hotel room were reaching into the long hallway and tugging at his clothing. Distantly, he became aware of the other people in the hotel once more, with most of the residents of this floor still in the process of evacuating and leaving the teens to their own battle. But it was clear that they'd exposed themselves... they wouldn't be able to stay here any longer after this. Damnit all. "Come on, Sheba!"

With a blood-curdling scream, Sheba surged upwards, somehow forcing herself up from her prone position in an attempt to claw at Ivan's face. He backed away rapidly, missing her gripping fingers by inches and cursing profusely. She wasn't going to pull herself together any time soon, not at this rate.

Ivan put a little more distance between himself and the wildcat even as she pulled herself to a stand, conjuring lightning around herself again. Readying himself for it, the young man threw himself out of the way as the lightning bolt was released, rolling on impact and coming up in a crouch close by. The blast impacted against the wall, blowing a hole through the wall and opening up another - thankfully unoccupied - hotel room to the hall.

Lightning moved incredibly fast, though... surely not fast enough for Ivan to dodge like that. He frowned. Was Sheba holding back? Or was that just the limitation of Psynergy as opposed to nature? He didn't have any time to consider it, because another surge of lightning soared through the air towards him. He deflected it with a hastily formed blast of air, knocking it off course and into another wall. The lightning seemed to have physical mass somehow... it seemed everything Psynergy did was shift energy in the atmosphere and materialise it into something solid.

Screaming once more, Sheba sprinted towards him at breakneck speeds, barely giving enough time for Ivan to stand. Readying himself to counter another Psynergy attack, he was caught off guard when none came... and instead, Sheba drove her fist hard into his stomach.

Instantly, the taste of bile rose up in the back of Ivan's throat, mixed with the copper tang of blood. The pain was incredible, taking over his entire torso and leaving him stunned. Adrenalin coursed through him, dulling the pain slightly but not enough to stop the full impact. Coughing, he backed up... only to receive a backhand blow from Sheba against the side of his face. He staggered back again, blood pouring from a suddenly swollen lip and his senses reeling.

If Sheba was holding back for him, Ivan didn't want to see her completely lost... and that thought drove him to desperate actions. Gritting his teeth even through the pain in his face, he regained his balance and thrust his hands forward, forcing the air to blast her back as hard as possible.

The girl brought her arms up to protect herself, yet the force of the wind was too great to deal with, and in moments she had been forced to ground again. She looked around frantically, whether looking for solace or for a target, but Ivan didn't allow her to act on whatever she perceived. Instead, he forced the air up again, turning the hallway into a wind tunnel. Somebody behind him screamed, one of the remaining hotel patrons that hadn't fled, but he didn't pay any attention. He had business to attend to. The air flow built up even as Sheba got to her knees, and she clutched at the floor as best as her hands would allow to try and maintain steady. It was clear that she wouldn't remain there long, though - pretty soon, the wind would take her... very soon.

"If I can't reason with you, I'll just have to finish you!" Ivan roared, his composure lost from the indignities he'd suffered. His Psynergy reacted within him, his entire mind focusing on one single chain of thought... _blow her away. _No reason, no complicating matters with anything else... he was just a conduit for the Psynergy now. The wind became a howling gale within the confines of the hallway, pouring in from every possible avenue within the hotel, sometimes even forming without one as if Ivan was creating and shaping the very weather like some forgotten deity.

It might have continued, but once more the building was assailed by a vicious tremor. The entire tower began to shudder and fight against its foundations, suddenly locked in a relentless war with gravity. Ivan gasped and fell forward as the ground beneath him suddenly became unsteady, his concentration shattered. He blinked stupidly for a moment, realising for a second just how much power he'd been attempting to unleash. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head and reprimanded himself, dragging himself up into a crouch. No, he couldn't lose his control like that. Psynergy was an unknown factor... it needed restraint, or he might become just as insane as Sheba had. He almost had... no, he wouldn't let himself slip again.

Sheba... glancing up once again, he saw that Sheba had toppled over too. Instead of trying to get up and resume the fight, though, she was shivering and thrashing wildly on the floor, as if the entire building was her enemy now. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and occasionally she hissed or growled at some perceived threat. He could see even from where he was that, despite her frenzy, she was draining fast, just like him. But her sanity still seemed to have departed, with no easy or clear way to bring her back to reason visible. The only thing he could do... was take her out of commission entirely. Even as he considered that, she screamed and hurled a bolt of energy into the ceiling, dropping a chunk of plaster to the floor around her as the roof began to break.

Fighting the now-intense aching of his head, as well as the rising pain in his stomach and the accompanying urge to vomit, Ivan forced himself to stand and move over to Sheba. As he did, her eyes locked onto him and she started hissing, standing up and facing him at a rapid pace. Not wasting any time, Ivan rushed at her, tackling into Sheba and attempting to pin her arms back. He wasn't that big... but then, Sheba was no bigger, so the momentum of the charge forced the frenzied girl back into a wall. She lashed back at him, but restricted by his close proximity she could do little but dig her fingers into his skin and try to tear him that way.

Forced to simply resist the pain, Ivan kept her pinned against the wall, trying to restrict her movement as best as he could. He hoped this next move wasn't overkill... something was wrong with Sheba, but that didn't mean she deserved to die for it. He could help her, somehow. But before that, he had to get her out of here, preferably without her as an attacking enemy.

"I'm sorry for this," Ivan murmured, before pressing a hand against Sheba's temple and slamming her head into the wall. With a sickening thump, the plaster beneath her forehead gave way slightly, and Sheba's body went limp in his arms. Gritting his teeth, he held her in place against him for a moment, checking her pulse at her neck. It was still there... good, he hadn't killed her. With a faint sigh of relief, Ivan reduced his hold on her, moving her away from the wall and laying her limp form prone on the floor. Already the adrenalin rush was beginning to fade, and suddenly the young man felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. His headache felt like it was going to split his skull open... something he seriously hoped he hadn't done to Sheba.

Taking a few moments to compose himself, he gave the hallway a quick glance. Nobody was there... apparently everyone had fled or begun to hide. That was probably for the best. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone else for a while now. Very slowly, Ivan picked Sheba up again, cursing at the weight. She wasn't really a heavy girl, but he wasn't a strong person either, and the exertions of the fight had left him drained. Slowly, he managed to stagger back to his room. Time to leave... they wouldn't be able to stay in this hotel, not with all the damage they'd caused. Best that he grab his laptop and flee the premises.

The encounter had demanded Ivan's attention too much, though, and as such he'd failed to see what had gone on. But reaching his window, he was quickly educated.

Outside, Imil seemed to be caught in the grips of a storm. The late afternoon clouds had rolled over to become an overcast sky, and the strong winds bombarded the city without remorse. Worse still was the lightning... there was no rain coming from the sky, but the lightning more than sufficed for that. He could see at least one bolt every few seconds as he watched, and even strike seemed to poke a nameless fear within him. On the ground, even more seemed to be going on... a considerable amount of road traffic was visible on the street before the hotel, signs that the local police were coming to check the disturbance. But... it wasn't the only visible disturbance. In places throughout the city, he could see short flashes and the tell tale marks of explosions and smaller lightning bolts... a moment later, he even witnessed one elderly man clawing at a passerby while wreathed in lightning.

Psynergy. It was Psynergy, everywhere... and all of it storms, or wind, or lightning. All things that Ivan himself could do, but not what that one man in the Proxian installation had been capable of... only this one type of Psynergy seemed to be present. And, for whatever reason, it was all being unleashed on Imil with the full force of the hurricanes and thunderstorms that they represented.

Laying Sheba on his bed for a moment, Ivan hurriedly bundled his few worldly possessions into a bag, particularly his laptop. He was certain that he'd need it very soon. Then, satisfied that he'd cleared the valuable goods out, he slung the back onto his shoulders and picked up Sheba again.

He had to get out of here as quickly as possible, before the security arrived to stop them. Or worse... before the Proxians dared show up at this frenzied display of Psynergy.

Then again... with the state of the city, Ivan could only imagine just what the Proxians were planning to do. Project Psynergy... suddenly it seemed a lot more real and a lot more frightening than he'd imagined.

- - - - -

**Author's Notes:** A huge shoutout to Dantaron and SeaMonkeyFarmer (do you go by a different name here? If so I'll change this) for being my beta-readers and keeping me from destroying this scene in a fit of rage and self-delusions. It was very helpful to have your nitpicks added to my own opinions. Likewise, thanks to everyone who has stuck by this story for all of its many years, as usual. Additionally, I don't feel this is a gaiden chapter to be attached as an extra scene to the previous one... instead, I consider this just the first installment of the next chapter. It's a semantic difference, sure, but I'm going to make it all the same. Part 2 of this chapter coming soon, hopefully.


	22. Control

**Author's Notes:** I'm back, folks. Pretty much the entirety of what you see here in this update was constructed in the last month or so, meaning I didn't touch the story for close to a year, and I'm really not happy with myself for that. Additionally, I had to trim this chapter further just to complete it, as the other two scenes were giving me grief and I couldn't write them to my satisfaction. Regardless, this is almost long enough to count as a full chapter, especially when linked with the last update... so! Let's waste no time in picking up where we left off. More comments at the end of the story.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 17 Part 2 - Control**

"Come on already, slowpoke... I didn't get my sunrise exercises today _or_ yesterday, so you owe me a sunset exercise at least!" Feizhi tugged on Garet's arm lightly but with enough determination to keep him moving at her brisk pace, and the young man was once more starting to reconsider his decision to stay with Hama and her protege.

The Xianese girl dragged him back out of the hotel and onto the beach front once more, finally letting go of his arm when they were halfway between the sand and the lapping waves at almost exactly the same spot they'd been training when Feizhi had collapsed the previous morning. Back then, Garet had been treated to a view of the rising sun over the ocean, but now he glanced in the opposite direction to note the sun setting behind Daila, stealing the light of day back into its warm embrace.

The encroaching darkness didn't seem to faze Feizhi at all. Immediately, she stepped back to put a little space between them and took a moment to adjust her headband, making sure her wound was covered. Once that was done she began to stretch, repeating the motions she'd been going through when she'd fainted last.

"Are you absolutely sure you should be pushing it like this?" Garet asked, knowing full well the answer already as he started to mimic her movements once again.

"I'm absolutely sure. All I did was pass out and sleep a while. It's not like I broke a bone, or had a fight with a Proxian consisting of a shootout with mental flamethrowers. I'm completely fine."

He smirked at the snide comment, though he had to fight his instinct to reach for his energy pistol and make sure that it was still at his hip. The familiar weight and feel of the holster was all too reassuring these days... yet who could blame him for being paranoid?

"Whatever. Just be sure to ease up and take a break when you need to."

"Yes, mother!" Feizhi flashed him a grin even as she continued her relentless stretching.

The warmup ended much the same way as it had the day before... with Feizhi performing a split on the sand while Garet stared incredulously, not even bothering to try for fear of breaking his hips. The smug look of superiority on the girl's face was impossible to miss, but he let her keep her victory. He still had other things on his mind that he wanted to get out of the way.

"So... what was with the whole passing out thing?" He asked her as she stood up, rubbing sand off her legs. "I mean, you were gripping your head before it happened and you muttered something strange before you just collapsed. Did something happen to trigger it?"

"I did?" Feizhi stood up straight, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I don't remember saying anything. I just recall going out at sunrise to give you your first lesson, and then I toppled over. Then I woke up today with you having gawked all over me for the last thirty hours."

"Why do I bother..." Garet muttered to himself, turning an embarrassing shade of red nonetheless. "I'm just curious out of concern, Feizhi."

"And I appreciate that. But like I said... I don't remember anything like that." She flashed him a quick smile, but... there was something in her face that Garet could see which didn't add up. He hadn't been in the police force long, but he'd quickly learnt the ropes, and he'd come to recognise certain visual indicators that were tell-tale signs of human behaviour... especially when there was something they weren't saying.

_She's lying._

He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted quickly by moving over to him and grabbing his hand in hers, holding it up to hover between their chests. The sudden strange move made him blink in surprise.

"Huh? What are y-"

"Your first lesson. I'm going to teach you how to throw a proper punch." Feizhi grinned. "Gotta start with the basics, after all."

Garet blinked again at her words, then blinked yet again when it finally dawned on him what she'd said about the day before. "Hang on. First lesson? You're going to teach me?"

"Of course. Hama seems to have a lot on her mind right now, what with the whole Psynergy thing, or else she'd probably teach you herself. And you can't just sit in with my lessons, since I've been doing this stuff for years... I'm well above your level so it would just fall on deaf ears and waste your time. Thus, to save her doing two lots of teaching..." She shrugged. "I'll do her a favor and handle it, to get you up to speed and all that."

"But... why would Hama teach me?" Garet shook his head, absently noting that she was still gripping his hand tightly... far more tightly than she really needed to, but almost with a certain tenderness. There was so much more that Feizhi wasn't saying... and a sudden, cold sensation wormed its way into his chest as one potential explanation for her actions rose to the front of his mind.

_...she couldn't possibly... no way._

It would explain a lot if she did, like that one hug on their car trip, and all the playful banter and teasing, and the sudden determination she had to train him... but... no. They were running for their lives, having just been dragged out of their comfort zones and relative safety to get involved in a science fiction plot of unbelievable proportions.

Surely not. Now wasn't the time for her to have a... a crush on him!

"Garet!"

He blinked, staring right at the Xianese girl. "Huh?"

"Were you not paying attention to anything I just said?" Feizhi sighed, letting go of his hand.

"Uhh... no. I'm sorry. I got distracted." He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

"I said that if you're here, Hama is probably going to train you anyway. Not quite like she trains me, but she'll likely try to help you use and understand your crazy powers."

"O-oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense." Garet wasn't completely sure he liked that prospect. "I'd rather just forget I had them, but if they're going to have to be used, I'll do what I can with them."

"And she can obviously help you with that. Besides, it's a gift." Feizhi smirked. "Not something you should just throw away. I bet heaps of people would love to have the kind of powers you stumbled onto."

"Maybe. Would you?"

She looked slightly taken aback at the question, but shrugged. "I guess so. I think... I think Hama took me up as an apprentice because she believed I had the potential for those powers. But she was wrong, I guess. She never told me about Psynergy or her status as an Adept until the same time as you found out. If she ever was expecting something of me or planned to teach me all about that kind of stuff, she never got to it, or was never going to in the first place."

"I see." Garet frowned, folding his arms. "I'd happily trade spots with you if I could and give you these abilities. I'm just a simple guy... I didn't really expect to be where I am."

"Do you regret it?" Feizhi eyed him for a moment, her expression impassive. Once more, Garet felt that cold sensation in his chest. Was she testing him...?

"I... don't know. It's hard to say. On the one hand, this whole thing just seems so far-fetched that it's impossible to believe. On the other, it's far more interesting and intense than any experience or future I'd considered for myself before. So why not follow it and see where it leads me to?" He shrugged.

"That's a fair enough answer, I guess." She gave him a faint smile, though she turned to face the ocean and looked lost in thought for a moment, disregarding him. That only lasted a brief instant, however, before she span back to face him with her usual playful grin. "Psynergy changes nothing, however! You're here now and I know stuff you don't. It's only fair that I confer it all upon you."

With that, she reached out and grabbed his hand once more, though gentler this time. Garet didn't pull back, but he did look hesitant.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course. Hama wasn't much older than me when she took me on as an apprentice, and she's always said that it's done wonders for her. Teaching somebody helps you learn in ways you wouldn't have expected, too, since everyone reacts differently and can do things you'd never have thought of before." Feizhi smiled. Oddly enough, it seemed to be more sincere than most of the smiles he'd seen from her tonight. "That is... of course... if you don't mind me teaching you. I just thought, you know, I could help you out... and you could help me out in the process."

Regardless of all suspicions he might have about what was really going on in her mind, the smile was disarming. For all the occasions during the comparatively short time they'd known each other, Feizhi had occasionally been infuriating, but usually had just been trying to have fun. What did it really matter if she wasn't saying everything on her mind? If it was important, it would come up when the time was right.

Maybe he was just paranoid. She wasn't going to hurt him.

"Yeah... I don't mind you teaching me. I might as well while I'm here, and we're friends. I trust you."

Her smile broadened. "Good! Now, show me how you'd norm-"

"Feizhi, Garet!"

It was Hama's voice, and the effect it had on Feizhi was instant. She stopped what she was saying on the spot and let go of his hand, slipping her arms behind her back and looking almost subdued. In fact... was she blushing?

Maybe he _was_ right to be paranoid.

Garet turned around and looked back up the beach towards the resort. Hama was standing there, gesturing rapidly for them to come back to her. Even from that distance, it was clear that her expression was grim.

"What do you think she wants?" he asked Feizhi, suddenly worried.

"Beats me... we'd better find out, though." She slipped past him and jogged up the sand towards Hama, and Garet fell in step behind her.

"Sorry to bother you both, but there's something very important on the news that you need to see. Come on." Without another word of explanation, she span on her heel and walked back inside. Her young apprentices exchanged a quick glance before following after her. What had happened?

In short order, Hama had lead them back to their hotel rooms, and gestured towards the TV.

"Here. This just came on the news. It's the first thing you need to watch."

Without hesitation, Garet and Feizhi moved to the television, turning the sound up loud enough to hear. The anchorwoman for the Indra Network News was currently addressing the viewers, her expression impassive.

"_...rters are live on the scene now in Imil, where one of the largest electrical storms in recorded history is currently assailing the city. Mike Liberty is broadcasting to the studio now."_

"_Thanks, Sarah." _The image changed to a clean-cut looking man who, despite his neat appearance, looked very concerned. Behind him was the ground level of a sprawling cityscape, and in between the skyscrapers, huge banks of ominous clouds and frequent lightning strikes were visible. _"As you can no doubt see behind me, the storm here is incredibly fierce. There was absolutely no warning before it struck – the skies turned overcast in a matter of minutes before the lightning started to rain down on the city. Local experts are completely baffled as to how it escaped their notice, and evacuation efforts are being organised in the event that it doesn't die down fast. Already, reports of widespread damage across the city are coming in. I'll have more for you as we learn more. This is Mike Liberty of the Indra Network News, standing for justice."_

Hama stepped over at this point, chewing her lip and turning the sound down. Garet could see the worry and concern all over her features, and he couldn't help but wonder why this was so important.

"This is... related, somehow, isn't it?" he asked quietly. He glanced at Feizhi for a moment as if seeking support, but the girl looked even more concerned than Hama. In fact... had she turned pale? Before he could ask, Hama spoke up.

"There's something weird about that storm. Meteorologists can pick most changes in the weather, even rapid ones, well before they happen. The fact that they didn't and that it's so fierce... it bugs me. Plus there's something more about it. I can... sense something strange." She sighed. "I know as a Jupiter Adept that I could probably never conjure even a small thunderstorm, and definitely not one of that magnitude. Yet I can't help but feel that Psynergy is responsible. And that would mean Prox is responsible."

"How can that be? And why Imil?" Garet glanced at the screen again, but the news had already turned to some other matters regarding recent talks of a proposed trading agreement between Tolbi and Lalivero. Nothing interesting.

"I don't know. But I'm thinking that's one of the options we have for where to go next. Yet... it's not the only one." She turned back to the TV and started fiddling with the built-in video recording device. A moment later, another image came onto the screen, this time of a teenage girl speaking into a camera.

"Who's that?" Feizhi asked quietly.

"I recorded this from a news program on another channel a couple of hours ago. Apparently, the entire Osenia Network went down for a short time, and this feed was spliced into theirs and broadcast for the world to see by this one hacker. The subject matter is something you'll find interesting."

She pressed play, and Garet leaned in to watch. Before only a few seconds had passed, his mouth was hanging open in disbelief and his eyes were staring widely at the screen. That was... completely impossible. How could this be?

The girl spoke for a short time before tuning out, and the feed cut back to a news program which Hama switched off.

"...so there's others like us out there who know what's going on," Feizhi said after a moment's silence. If Garet had been paying more attention, he might have wondered why her voice was so subdued, but he was still staring at the inactive TV.

"Yes. The situation might not be as completely hopeless as we thought, if some others are already onto the various shades of conspiracy that Prox is putting forward." Hama still looked grim, but she allowed herself a faint smile. "She could be an ally. And maybe, despite what she said about working alone, she knows others. So that gives us two optio-"

"We're going to Alhafra," Garet said without hesitation, standing up quickly. Both women turned to stare at him.

"That came out of nowhere," Hama commented. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I know her." His expression was still one of wide-eyed disbelief, but he continued nonetheless. "If anybody can possibly help us figure out what's going on and stop it, it's her. Her name is Jenna, and she lived in Vale just like I did. We _have_ to help!"

- - - - -

The screen behind Alex's desk had divided into several smaller frames, and each was broadcasting a completely different feed. They blinked back and forth continously at Alex's deft control, until all of them were displaying the evening news program of their respective TV stations. Agatio wasn't a huge watcher of the news, but every single station that he could identify and then some were being displayed here.

Alex watched them all in silence, making occasional jabs at his remote to mute one channel and turn up another, or turn another channel off, or some other action. The details were hard to follow, and the big Proxian could do little but watch and hope everything would be explained to him. Whatever the Lemurian was looking for, it was beyond his scope.

A few minutes into the proceedings, Alex glanced towards Agatio before turning off all but one feed, which immediately expanded to cover the entirety of the display.

"There, that should be a good summary." He switched the volume up somewhat and sat back, gesturing to the screen. Agatio watched as the newsreader began to speak.

"_...-lier today, the city of Imil was hit by one of the largest electrical storms in the city's recorded history. Meteorologists were baffled by the event, which apparently struck without any warning despite the expected forecast to be a clear evening. The lightning storm was accompanied by winds of near-hurricane proportion, causing an effective shutdown of the entire harbour until the storm recedes. The damage to the city has been considerable, and authorities are urging everyone to remain indoors and to not panic. Police have confirmed that small riots broke out almost immediately once the storm began, but they have since kept them under control. A full mobilisation of the city's emergency teams are underway to control the damage."_

Alex switched the TV off as soon as it was concluded, turning on his chair to face Agatio. His earlier rage had subsided, and once more his usual calm smirk was plastered across his face.

"There. I couldn't think of a better victory."

Agatio folded his arms, still looking faintly confused. "Did Jupiter Lighthouse trigger the storm?"

"More or less, yes. But that was only a minor element of the victory." He leaned forward, his smile broadening. "Perhaps you did not notice, but on every single channel that has an evening news program, mentions of the Osenia Network's hijack early today were minimal at best. There was no large follow-up report, no investigation into the truth or falsehood of that hacker's claims. In giving the media something bigger to report about, I have controlled them from reporting on the situation that puts us on our back foot."

The Proxian considered that, nodding slowly. It was true... he hadn't seen the little hacker girl's face come up on the screen at any time during Alex's chaotic display. Everything had all been about the situation in Imil and other events that were taking place around the world. If they had mentioned her, it was audio only and had been lost in the sea of screens.

"Still... this isn't exactly positive publicity for us, either. Just because we kept them from focusing on that one negative point means little when the news is covering the huge storm we just unleashed." Agatio knew that Alex would be able to rebut this, but he felt it was still worth addressing... he was curious just how far the man's machinations would go.

"I'm about to rectify that. Excuse me."

Alex turned to face his desk and reached for the communicator there, tapping in a number quickly and waiting. He was not left waiting long, however.

"Puelle here." The familiar voice of the Proxian leader came through the device. "What is it, Blue?"

"If you haven't already seen the news, do so now. An extremely violent storm just hit Imil, and given how close by that is to Prox, now would be a good time to get positive PR by sending in some relief squads to help them clear up the damage."

Puelle was quiet for a moment. "Why do I get the feeling that there's more to this storm than you're mentioning?"

"Because you and the rest of Prox still don't trust me," Alex replied without missing a beat. "And you're right on this, but suffice to say, this is a good way to patch up things with Weyard after the Madra incident. You don't have to follow up on it, but it's likely better in the long run."

Again, Puelle was quiet for a moment before he sighed. "Alright, we'll get right on it. Thanks for the tip."

"A pleasure. Blue out."

Alex switched the communicator off and leaned back into his chair once more, sighing heavily. He suddenly looked really tired, but then Agatio could hardly blame him for that... a lot had happened today, and he'd been incredibly busy. How the man managed to keep his fingers in that many pies all across the world was something that continued to boggle him.

"There's your positive publicity, Agatio."

"It's a start. But I'm still concerned..." He folded his arms. "Yes, they're reporting on a different incident now, but it's still an incident we caused."

"An incident that they have no possible way of knowing that we caused." Alex drummed his fingers against the table, considering things for a moment. "The infamous hacker mentioned repeatedly that people had been experimented on, and she mentioned that Saturos and Karst conjured flames without any visible weapons. Only the former of those two situations would have been triggered by Jupiter Lighthouse, and right now, information regarding the experiments has only been leaked in small amounts. I doubt anything that links the Lighthouses to Stage One experiments is known by anybody who wasn't in the Lighthouse today... I've held those cards close to my chest. The odds of anyone who doesn't already know something about Project Psynergy linking the attacks are minimal."

Agatio pondered that as well. "But those who do know of it... will likely be suspicious. You want them in Imil, don't you?"

"Precisely. I suggested earlier that we need to entice the rats before we can trap them. Well, there's the enticement. Jupiter Lighthouse just sent out an irresistable scent to them, that many will be drawn to."

He couldn't contain the question anymore... Agatio just had to know. "So what did the Lighthouse actually _do_? Just create a nasty storm? Because if so, that seems like a huge waste of effort and resources."

Rather than directly answer the question, Alex turned back to the screen and flicked it on. Inwardly, Agatio sighed to himself. He hated it when the man just couldn't be direct. It was as if Alex just had to flaunt his superior intellect at every given opportunity and make him feel insignificant while he assembled all the pieces of the Lemurian's puzzle.

The screen came alive, and in a few moments it was back to the news programs. This time, however, Alex stopped the feed on some of the camera shots that had been filmed in Imil. Some showed the dark skies and flashes of lightning that had filled the air above the prominent city for some time, but others were taken at ground level, showing a considerable amount of damage inflicted on some buildings.

"Take a good look. That's some of the damage that the 'small riots' inflicted."

Agatio peered at the screen, looking over the destruction. As a soldier, he had a reasonable understanding of just what collateral damage looked like in urban environments. What he saw matched up in some ways... and yet, the damage was quite extensive, and done in ways and places that wouldn't really be feasible for the average person who was in a storm-induced panic.

He had to solve this puzzle himself... Alex would continue to hold it back from. So he tried to link it together. Before Jupiter Lighthouse had fired, the Lemurian had brought up a display showing the location of all the Stage One experimentees on Weyard. Those involved in Stage One were largely ordinary people that had been given small doses of somewhat docile forms of the Psynergy bacteria, doses that wouldn't grant them full access to and control of all their powers. That was for Stage Two experimentees... Agatio among them. He'd never really considered what they were for until then... Alex had just insisted that it be done, and so people were surreptitiously taken, altered, and then restored to their homes with introduced memory lapses.

Jupiter Lighthouse had been fired after Alex had checked the location of Stage One individuals. Damage was inconsistent with a typical riot or a lightning storm. So...

"...the Lighthouse triggered the dormant Psynergy of the Stage One recipients, and they lashed out and caused all that damage."

Alex grinned. "Bingo. Don't ever let anyone call you stupid, Agatio, because you're anything but. The burst of Psynergy that a Lighthouse emits is so potent that it sends Psynergy bacteria into a frenzy, making even the most docile of strains react violently. That violent reaction causes a backlash in a Stage One individual, and they lose control of themselves. In effect, they become walking weapons. We cannot control them... but they cannot control themselves."

The full impact of what Alex was saying dawned on Agatio. "And... there are Stage One individuals in every major city in Weyard, with a mix of all four Psynergy strains... so with one charge of a Lighthouse, you can inflict mass chaos anywhere in the world..." His expression changed to one of shocked disbelief. "That's the most utterly incredible and potentially devastating weapon anyone has _ever_ designed in history, Alex."

"And it's in Prox's hands. I highly doubt you'll lose a war if you were to start one, with these at your disposal. My gift to you, and to the world... I believe Prox would be a much better orchestrator of world events than any other superpower currently." Alex smiled, switching his screen off before standing up and stretching lightly. "And just so you know... it won't work on Stage Two personnel, so you and the rest of Prox is safe should the technology be compromised. Nonetheless, we're not finished yet."

"I assume you want to build a giant laser on the moon, next? That's about the next step up in terms of superweapons." Agatio still sounded a little shaken, but couldn't help but smirk.

"No thanks. It lacks subtlety." Alex rubbed his chin for a moment. "So. Those who suspect us and know anything of Psynergy will likely be drawn to the situation in Imil to inspect it... which is part of why I had Puelle send in additional relief teams. That allows the operatives at Imil Base and Mercury Lighthouse a little more access to the area, allowing for kill teams to be made should we find people snooping around in our affairs."

"Do you think that will be enough?"

"Not really. Our esteemed hacker opponent has become a little too much of a threat. She needs to be dealt with, and I'm not going to trust her to up and leave based on suspicion and head to Imil. In the event that she remains in Alhafra, she needs to be dealt with. But of course... it has to be subtle. If Proxians are suddenly see in large numbers tracking down a teenage girl who recently appeared on television condemning them, it might raise alarm bells."

Agatio nodded. "I guess you're going to send Felix, then?"

"Perhaps. But he only just left Alhafra with Saturos and Karst. I don't want to pressure him too much with this, so I'll give him some time with them to recuperate before I recall him to active duty."

That was decent of him. If nothing else, Alex didn't seem to mind taking care of his troops... sign of a good leader, and something that Agatio respected.

"But then, who will you send? We don't have any non-Proxian operatives who could deal with it aside from Felix."

Alex smirked, and instantly Agatio made the connection.

"...you can't possibly mean-"

"Yes, I do. You can return to Imil Base and oversee the affairs there at your leisure, Agatio, and your assistance here in Jupiter Lighthouse has been invaluable. For now... I'm needed in Alhafra."

- - - - -

**Author's Notes: **Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned to the world of fanfiction. Updates shall hopefully come along faster than this one did now that I've overcome this particular hurdle, and I'll gradually be editing the previous chapters as well to correct all my horribly edited sixteen-year-old self's work. That said, as said at the beginning of the chapter, this is effectively only half of what I planned to release... but I was just so sick of keeping things waiting, thus it was accelerated somewhat. So if nothing else I'll try and bring that out soon enough. Anyway. This story has become incredibly detailed over the course of five years, and it took at least two rereads to recall all the details that were needed to write these scenes. Getting the timing of the groups and days together is especially tricky. If I've slipped up somewhere, I would really be interested to hear about it, so I'm at the point where feedback of all forms would be incredibly appreciated, perhaps even crucial..

I had other things I probably could have added to this, but that'll do for now. This chapter is dedicated, as ever, to Daidairo and Joker's Specter for keeping me on the writer's path. Expect more sooner than this update took. Much sooner.


	23. Preparation

**Author's Notes: **If there's anything I hate worse than doing a bad job, it's having to do a good job twice. That's precisely what happened here. Over three quarters of this chapter had been written last month, but then my laptop exploded and took all my progress with it. Through near kamikaze techniques, however, I managed to get this entire chapter rewritten from scratch in about a fortnight. You have no idea how much this pleases me. Nonetheless, for the first time in a while you all get a complete chapter update. Hope you enjoy it.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 18 – Preparation**

Dawn was breaking over a wounded city.

Far away, Ivan could hear the ever present sound of sirens and alarms that had been going off for most of the night. Emergency services worked to clean up damage, care for those injured by the storm and its... side effects, and generally reimpose a sense of order over Imil. It had been a strange night, but the people quickly assumed that it was under control and they had nothing to fear.

Perhaps they didn't, for a time. But Ivan knew better. He knew what had just happened.

...or did he? He sighed, looking down at the ground dejectedly and leaning against the alley wall to support his tired body. He glanced over a few feet away, where Sheba was curled up and sleeping. The girl had remained unconscious ever since he'd knocked her out the evening before, and nothing he'd done had roused her. It didn't seem like she was injured in any way... it was just as though she'd been sapped of all energy. At least he could empathise with that condition, so Ivan let her sleep.

It had been incredibly tempting, however, to just leave her sleeping and start running. Several times throughout the night, Ivan had fought off the urge to do so. There was little keeping him from fleeing, save from his own personal sense of honour and chivalry – even he had to laugh at that one – and a large amount of curiosity regarding Sheba's condition. She held a piece of the puzzle that was Project Psynergy, and Ivan wanted to see where it fit. The only problem was that he doubted even Sheba knew where that was. His suspicion that her memory problems were forcefully induced was practically certainty, now.

Well, there'd be time to dwell on that when she was awake. He'd spent most of the night fleeing from any ramifications of their frenzied lightning battle in the hotel while carrying Sheba in his arms, and only an hour ago had he deemed it far enough away from the conflict zone to properly rest. But real rest was something that he had to deny himself a little longer. Even assuming he could fend off the adrenalin rush enough to fall asleep, there'd be no telling what would happen to him if no-one was there to watch over them. What if Sheba was still in a frenzy when she awoke?

So he'd let her sleep, getting her as comfortable as possible while he watched over her and tried to ponder what he could do next.

First things first: Escape. He'd intended Imil to be a good place to stop, get his bearings, and plan his next actions. It could have been a base to work with and strike out from the Proxians here, and he had intended to stay here for a time, but the complete uncertainty of the situation left him suddenly questioning the value of remaining. Doubly so if he intended to keep Sheba with him... but he could debate that later.

Jenna had somehow gotten onto a television broadcast and alerted as much of the world as she could about the existence of Project Psynergy and the underlying Proxian plans. That was a master stroke – he couldn't have planned it better himself. Still, by the sounds of it, the Elementalists had been destroyed. Judging by what Jenna had done and what he knew her to be capable of, though, he somehow doubted that she was working alone. There had to be more survivors... perhaps she was still working with Isaac?

The best course of action now would probably be to return to their boats and head back to Alhafra as quickly as possible, hopefully rendezvousing with whatever hackers remained and judging what they could do next then. Of course, their transport had likely been discovered by the Proxians no doubt crawling around Imil at this point, so he'd have to try and steal another one... that wasn't out of his capabilities, though.

So that left two things to consider... Sheba, and the lightning storm. Running it all through his head, Ivan decided to start with the storm. The two seemed inextricably tied with each other, anyway.

Frowning to himself, he interrupted that train of thought by grabbing his laptop from his hastily packed bag and powering it up. As soon as it had booted, he found a wireless connection to access the internet from and then started browsing the common news sites.

Yes... it was as he'd expected. The storm was all over the news, and coverage was extensive. But the story about Jenna's hacking... if it was on any of the websites, it was only a short message regarding the hacking attempt, not the information that had been spread. No doubt the less public channels would be talking about it, and there'd be discussions about it all over the internet, but the whole incident had been covered up quickly and replaced by the storm over Imil.

A very powerful and completely unexpected and unexplained electrical storm, the likes of which had never been seen before... Ivan didn't like it. It stank of Prox's involvement. A big spectacle like this to soak up all the media attention while they quietly brushed Jenna's work under the rug? The Proxians involved seemed intelligent enough to cover up the story in such a way. And that would suggest that the Proxians had conjured up the lightning storm, because there was no way they could have anticipated it, surely...

And that would probably explain why the onset of the storm had triggered the sudden development of Psynergy in Sheba. But... something still didn't add up. Why was it that she'd gone on a ballistic rampage? Ivan had noticed similar cases of chaos and destruction in his flight the previous night, so he didn't think hers was an isolated case... but why, then, hadn't he done similar and let loose his Psynergy like that? Why could he still control it? Was his procedure different...?

There were too many questions he just didn't have the answer for. The only thing he could really do was keep on fighting, and hope Sheba knew something.

Closing his laptop, Ivan sighed and glanced over at Sheba. He let out a sudden gasp as he realised she was sitting up and staring at him, arms folded and a look of concern and confusion on her face. How had he not heard her stir?

"Ivan, where are we?" she asked quietly, her voice sounded dry and cracked. "And why does my head feel like I've had an axe through it?"

"Don't you remember what happened yesterday?" he asked curiously, putting the laptop away before facing her properly. Her eyes were narrow and bloodshot, and she looked and sounded worse for wear, but she seemed... normal. A good sign.

"Not really." She rubbed her head faintly, looking up as she struggled with the thoughts. "I... remember being in the hotel room. I got up to go talk to you, and... I don't know. Things go blank after that."

"There was a really big electrical storm... too big to be natural, with no rain. Just lots and lots of lightning." Ivan frowned, wondering just how much it was prudent to reveal. "I came in to check how you were doing and to talk to you, but before I could, the door was blasted off its hinges and you came out in a complete frenzy, trying to kill me and anyone else in the building."

Sheba blinked, and her expression was clearly unconvinced. "You'd think I'd remember something like that."

"You'd think, but I suppose not. I had to subdue you or you would have ripped my throat out. And it gets even crazier..." Ivan's frown deepened, before he finally decided to take the plunge. "Look, you saw what was hacked into the broadcast last night. You saw what my friend and colleague was doing. Prox is performing experimentation on you and others as a means of perfecting some kind of genetic augmentation. While you were in that frenzy, you were generating lightning bolts and throwing them around like candy, or conjuring blasts of wind strong enough to throw doors at me."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything, just gestured for him to continue.

And continue Ivan did. He quickly recounted everything he'd done in the discovery and eventual fight against Project Psynergy, about how he'd raided the Imil installation and saved a prisoner who had been experimented on and given similar powers, about how he'd eventually been captured and then had escaped in the middle of the same experiments before he'd run into her on the ocean.

"So imagine my surprise," he said finally, "when you started unleashing those very same powers at me like that. I had suspected that you'd undergone similar experiments, but up until now you haven't used those powers."

Sheba had listened intently throughout his spiel, her expression ranging from curious to surprised to uncertain, but only once he was finished did she raise her voice. "Obviously most normal people aren't going to believe a thing you say, which is probably why a cover up to the broadcast would work so well. But... I'm not normal, and I _know_ they've changed me somehow. I can't feel any kind of lightning powers in me though, and I was even trying a little to will it while you were talking, just to see if I could. Nothing."

Ivan considered that. "When it happened to me, I instantly gained the ability to use them as I saw fit. It's how I managed to fend you off yesterday. Maybe your experiments were different than mine, even if the end result was similar... like I said, I woke up in the middle of it, so maybe they hadn't had the chance to implement some kind of control in me."

"Maybe." She hesitated. "I want to believe you, I guess, since it gives me all the more reason to stick around and fight Prox. But... can you prove it for me?"

Without another word, Ivan flung his hand out to the side. A bolt of lightning instantaneously launched from the palm of his hand and struck the alley wall with a shower of sparks.

"Good enough for me." Sheba smirked. "Alright. I appreciate you being honest with me about all this... now that I know the full story, I don't have any real qualms helping you out."

"That's good, I suppose." He gave a faint smile, but inwardly... it worried him a little. Could she be trusted? He had no doubt she was sincere about her hatred of the Proxians, but... what was to keep her from going berserk again? Would it take another storm like that, or could it happen entirely at random? Could Prox even generate another situation like that in a hurry?

Ugh. So many questions, so few answers. All he could do was go with the flow of things.

"So where are we going to now?" she asked.

"We..." he hesitated, not for an answer, but just to mentally confirm that he was okay with bringing Sheba with him. "We shouldn't stay in Imil. After the storm, there's no telling if Prox will step up their activities here. So it's Plan B... I'm going back to Alhafra to meet up with Jenna and see what can be done from there with extra support."

"Alright. I'm with you." Sheba stood up at that point, and then immediately sat back down again, groaning. "Just... give me a minute."

Ivan frowned but nodded as she pulled herself together, slowly standing up and getting her balance before nodding to him. Gathering up his things, they disappeared into the streets of Imil. Once more, the alley was deserted.

...

It would have been a pleasant start to the day to simply wake up at a normal hour, but it was not to be.

Mia was startled out of her sleep by the sound of raised voices on the deck of the boat. She sighed faintly, rolled over once, and then gave up as the dialogue continued. She couldn't hear the specifics, but Kraden's voice was easily identifiable. The pauses in between his words were probably the quiet, measured words of Piers.

Any further sleep was bound to be impossible for the moment, so with another sigh she dragged herself out of bed, hurriedly pulled on some clean clothes, rubbed her eyes a few times, and then checked her watch. Not even seven in the morning yet... well, to be fair, she'd gone to bed quite early the day before since there was very little to do while they were sailing. Still, she didn't feel like she'd slept much at all in weeks. And something was... odd. She couldn't quite place it, but something felt different this morning, and it certainly wasn't the argument.

No, she mused, that was effectively par for the course. Some people might have said that at least she had her freedom, but she didn't really feel like it. Not as long as Kraden was around.

Mia dragged herself up onto the deck of the boat, and was stunned to find that they'd stopped. That was what felt so strange... the gentle rocking of the boat was still present, but the engine was dead for the first time in days. Even more surprising - but also a source of sudden relief - was that they'd docked on dry land. Land! It was a welcome sight... Ivan's boat had been considerably more comfortable than Piers', yet even then she wasn't really a creature made for sailing. The chance to walk around on something stable for once was a very satisfying concept.

Standing on deck, only a few feet away, were her two travelling companions. Idly, Mia mused that the company on Ivan's boat had been better too, but she wasn't about to say that out loud. Piers stood with his arms folded and his expression implacable, but his eyes were tired. Had he been pushing the boat all night? It wouldn't entirely surprise her if he did... he seemed the sort to be dedicated enough to his mission to go to needless lengths.

By contrast, Kraden didn't seem tired at all... just frustrated. He was talking to Piers again, his voice quieter this time, but displeasure still evident in his voice.

"Damn it all, Piers, I don't care what you feel is the right thing to do in a normal situation like this. This situation is anything but normal. You and Mia alike are throwing around powers straight out of fiction with barely a thought at genetically enhanced Proxians, and you think the best thing to do is branch off on your own without seeking any further aid with Lemuria? This isn't our place. I'm starting to reconsider very seriously that offer I made to help you."

"This is my place," Piers answered, his voice remaining calm as ever. "Again, if you don't like it, you have my word that I'll take you back to Lemuria once I'm done here... but this is slightly more pressing, and practically the same distance from Alhafra anyway. It's important that we get this done, and if matters in the world progress as they are right now, it's best that Briggs is alerted and his aid secured."

"Briggs is little more than a petty thief and his leadership over this town and the fleet here is questionable at best. Champa has no single ruling figure, even if Briggs does have considerable sway amongst the sailors, so anything he agrees to doesn't have bearing with the whole place. It doesn't compare t-"

Mia took this moment to step up to the pair, ignoring the urge to yawn. "Good morning, you two. What's all this ruckus about?"

Piers gave her a brief smile, whereas Kraden politely nodded before answering her. "Piers has decided that he wants to speak to the local pirate lord and try and gain an ally here."

"He's not a pirate lord, he's a sailor and the leader of Champa's fleet, both military and commercial. Champa's acts of piracy have dropped off considerably in the last decade and you know it. Besides, it matters little. If nothing else, the Champa fleet has the right to know what's going on, and if they want to offer support and keep Proxian power on the oceans even more contained than Lemuria is already doing... so much the better." Piers sighed. "Don't you understand?"

"I understand perfectly, Piers, and your logic would make sense if not for the reputable nature of those we're dealing with." Kraden shook his head and turned away from the Lemurian man, climbing down off the deck and onto the Champa dock. "But you're already set on this crazy plan, and nothing I say will sway you. Do what you will, just don't complain if they stay true to their nature and double cross you."

He walked towards dry land, where he was met by one of the locals dressed in a semi-official looking uniform. Mia couldn't hear what they were discussing, but she imagined that it was a port official requesting their details. She wondered what Kraden would say about them if that was the case...

"Don't mind him. Kraden's been around a lot longer than I have, so he's had to deal with the ill effects of Champa's actions before." Piers gave her a forced smile. "I just hope he's not right this time."

"Are they really that bad?" Mia asked, looking towards the city. Beyond the very extensive dock was... a comparatively small city compared to Alhafra, let alone Imil. Then again, a closer look showed that it was built between a narrow stretch of land and a not so distant cliff wall... and it seemed that part of the city may even have been built onto the side of and within the cliff face. Interesting.

"You hear less and less of it these days, but they were once. In the Proxian War, they were effectively privateers using both sides for their own personal gain. They'd make themselves useful to both with information and goods and trade and such, but would also happily double-cross anyone if they stopped being useful. We'd pay them for information regarding an incoming Proxian assault, and then they'd come in and raid our less defended ports while our fleets were away dealing with the Proxians." He shook his head. "That was then, though. Decades have passed. They're still not the most reputable characters, but I've met Briggs before. He's the current leader of the fleet. Not a bad sort, really, and seems to have a good heart."

"What are you trying to get his help with?" Mia still wasn't entirely privy to all of Piers' plans and long term aims, so she hadn't been informed as to their reason for being here just yet.

"Simple. I just want him to stay out of it. Make war on the Proxians if war does break out and if he sees fit, sure, but for the duration of any craziness, I'd prefer it if he and his people stayed out of the fighting. Unless, of course, they want to join in a truce with Lemuria... but that's not something I'm pushing. Neither side likes each other overly much."

Piers shrugged before leaping over the side of the boat and down to the deck, reaching back to extend a hand to her. She took it and lowered herself down gracefully, barely needing his assistance.

"Do you think Briggs knows we're coming?"

"I radioed ahead to let them know of my intentions. Whether or not he'll meet us is another story, but..." He paused, then laughed. "Oh, I spoke too soon. Look over there."

He pointed to the docks just past where Kraden was still talking to the official, and not too far away was a trio of human figures.

In the centre of the trio was a fairly rough looking man with tanned skin and curly brown hair, held back out of his face with what looked like a simple strand of rope. To his left was a woman, a little shorter than he was but with fairly pretty features, and to his right was a young child, no more than a few years old. They stopped just a few feet short of Kraden and the official, and waited.

Kraden looked up, and the official followed his gaze. The man nodded, and the official nodded back and stepped away, heading back to whatever port authority he'd come from. Piers quickly stepped up beside Kraden, and Mia hurriedly moved to stand beside them.

"Well, well, it really is you. I hadn't expected to hear word from Lemuria any time soon, but here you are." The man, who Mia presumed was Briggs, stepped forward and extended his hand. "How are you, Piers?"

Piers stepped forward and took the hand, shaking it firmly and grinning. "A little tired, Briggs, but that's to be expected. We departed Alhafra in a bit of a hurry."

Briggs laughed. "Now that's a story you'll have to tell me if you have the time. But... by the sounds of it, we probably don't have time. Apparently you have important business to discuss with me? If Lemuria's asking about that business in Madra, I had nothing to do with any of it. None of my ships were in the area at the time, either for the smuggling incidents or the escape of the arsonist."

"Don't worry, Lemuria's not asking about your business. As a matter of fact, I can't really speak officially for Lemuria right now... but I can definitely speak unofficially, and you'll want to hear what I have to say." He paused, and Mia noticed now that he had paled slightly at the mention of Madra. "Though it's best if I don't say it in the open like this."

"Say no more. Secrecy, I got it." Briggs glanced over at the woman. "Chaucha, can you take Eoleo ahead and set up the private rooms?"

"Of course, dear." She smiled politely at the group before turning and heading for land, gesturing for the toddler to come with her as she did so. The child seemed to hesitate, though, and stared at Mia for a few seconds. Mia met the stare with a friendly smile, and the child gave a hurried smile back before following after mother.

Briggs let them go for a few moments before chuckling. "That reminds me, I need to grab something from my ship on the way. You might as well come by, we can reminisce on the way."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Piers smirked and started walking. Mia followed after him with Kraden bringing up the rear. There was something odd about what Briggs had said, though. She was trained to notice those things, given that she was studying to be a psychologist... there was something left unsaid about the request.

Judging by the sudden easing of Piers' body language, it seemed that he'd gotten some kind of signal... or was being lulled by the performance. Either way, there was something she'd missed.

"You don't have to worry about any mooring fees, by the way." Briggs glanced over his shoulder for a moment towards Piers' boat, before moving along the network of docks. "Call it a favor for all that help you did for me back in the day."

"You quite obviously know each other," Kraden piped up. "Dare I ask how that came about?"

"I was here in Champa when I was starting my tenure as an Agent," Piers answered. "It was my first solo mission. That would have been a couple of years ago, at least. Chaucha was still pregnant at the time."

"Hah, has it really been that long?" Briggs laughed. "Yeah, Piers was sent out to work with us in apprehending some mutual criminals. I was a little insulted at first... I mean, sending a teenager, barely out of his training? But you sure proved you were worth your salt."

"Really, I didn't do much. I just co-ordinated a few things and did some investigative work. You and your men were what handled it."

"Be that as it may, we were stumped as to how the smugglers were evading us for so long until you showed up and made it look so easy."

"Smugglers?" Kraden interjected. Mia could see that he looked uneasy at this.

"Yep, a band of smugglers and pirates had holed up in the region and were harassing our shipping lanes," Briggs answered. "They were crafty, though, and they were never in one place long enough for us to catch."

"As it turns out," Piers added hastily, "they were Lemurian deserters. They figured they'd fit right in with the pirates of Champa, and were quickly kicked out for their assumptions, so they tried to get revenge. It didn't work out for them."

It was clear that he couldn't keep the satisfaction out of his voice, and Mia looked over her shoulder just in time to see Kraden practically deflating. "I see..."

About this time, Briggs stopped suddenly, glanced around for a moment, and then without any further warning jumped off the dock and onto the deck of the nearest boat. Before Mia could say anything, he turned around and gestured for them to follow him. "On here."

Piers blinked, but followed suit and jumped down onto the boat, helping Mia and Kraden across as he went. "I guess Chaucha was a diversion to any observers?"

"You guessed it. Old habits die hard, and this boat is set up to be soundproof." Briggs pulled open the cabin door and went inside, with the others close behind him. The boat wasn't overly long, so the cabin was a touch cramped – they would have had difficulties getting any more than all four of them into it comfortably.

They arranged themselves as best as they could on the minimal seating, and Briggs closed the door. He flipped a couple of switches, and Mia could hear the boat engine hum to life at the back of the boat, but they didn't move anywhere.

"Alright, that should do it. We can talk here." Briggs folded his arms and looked attentive. "So Piers, as good as it is to have your company here again, you mentioned some important but unofficial business?"

"I did." Piers glanced from Kraden to Mia and back to Briggs. "Have you heard of Project Psynergy?"

Briggs shook his head. "Can't say I have."

"Project Psynergy is effectively an experiment by Proxian scientists to augment humans with psychic powers. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true, and somehow they're actually succeeding."

Any lesser men would have started laughing or accusing Piers of lying on the spot, but Briggs did neither. He just frowned somewhat and gestured for the Lemurian to keep talking.

"We've seen it out in the field. You mentioned the business in Madra? Well, that arsonist was creating the fire out of thin air. I know this because I fought him myself." He hesitated. "And it may be my fault that he got away from Madra, but we won't go into that right now. The point is that they're powering themselves up with this crazy high tech stuff, and the circles that are aware of this secret project are dreading that it'll lead to war."

Briggs held up a hand at this point. "Alright. Let's say I believe this crazy story. Why then do you come to me? And can you offer any proof?

"It's simple. Sooner or later, if this carries on as it is, then Lemuria may be sucked into a war to defend our interests. When that happens, we want Champa's navy out of the picture. Some people still remember what your predecessors were like in the first Proxian War." Piers painstakingly avoided looking at Kraden at this point.

"Out of the picture. So what, you just don't want us to take part at all?" Briggs raised an eyebrow.

"Remember how I said this is unofficial business? That's because, right now, I don't really have much standing within Lemuria. I'm working for her interests, but due to conflicts between King Hydros and the council, anything I do here cannot truly speak for Lemuria as a whole." Piers shrugged. "So I can't suggest alliances or anything like that. All I want to do is warn you about what's happening, for the sake of our friendship and for the sake of Champa as a whole in case they decide this place would be valuable. At the same time, though, I'd be most upset to hear that you'd sided with the Proxians... so I'm here now, hopefully before they suggest anything, to ask you to not work with them either."

"Got it. So you don't want me to side with the Proxians, and you don't want me to repeat Champa's history and further our status as the most reviled non-Proxians in Weyard." Briggs chewed his hip, and Mia watched him closely. He seemed to be taking Pier's words quite seriously. "Well, I suppose I can arrange that. But that's just one of my requests. Can you give me a tangible reason to believe any of this?"

Kraden coughed. "The fact that you haven't laughed us out of here yet is testament to the fact that you _do_ believe us, to an extent. I can see it in your face." That was curious... was Kraden trained to read faces like she was?

"The fact that I haven't laughed you out of here is testament to the fact that I trust Piers after what he did for Champa." Briggs' face was set. "But I need more than that. You understand, right Piers?"

"Yeah... I understand." Piers frowned and pulled back in his chair, considering for a moment, then looked at Mia. "Hey Mia, all this talking has made my mouth dry. Do you have any water on you?"

It was all she could do to keep her face straight. The clever bastard...

"Oh, I think so. Let me see." Mia held out her hand palm up before her and focused. She could see the tell-tale rings of energy wrap around her arm and into her hand. Slowly at first but then gradually faster, ice was forming in her hand. It built itself up into the shape of a rough cup, which then filled with water.

Her task complete, she took hold of the ice and passed it across to Piers. "Will that suffice?"

Piers took it and was about to put it to his mouth, when he paused. "I appreciate it, but I prefer water when it's not chilled." Saying that, the ice immediately melted, but a ball of water remained in his hand. Mia watched as the water rose up, and then turned into a slow stream which moved directly to Pier's face. He drank it up quickly until it was all gone, and then gave a satisfied sigh. "Delicious."

Mia glanced at Briggs, who still looked remarkably impassive... only his eyes were wide, and the faint signs of a frown were upon his face. In the meantime, Kraden sighed heavily. "Show-offs."

"Tangible enough for you, Briggs?" Piers said, pointedly ignoring the old man.

"More than tangible." The sailor stroked his chin, lost in thought. "So everything that she said was true, then..."

"She?" All three of the visitors said in unison.

"You said you left Alhafra in a hurry, right?" He ignored their questions for now, his frown deepening. "When was this?"

"Three days ago," Piers answered.

"And you haven't got any television or commercial radio access on that boat of yours, I'd imagine."

"That's right, we don't."

"Then I'm going to have to show you something. I have a copy of the segment recorded, and Chaucha will be able to show us when we meet up with her." Briggs' frown gradually receded, turning back into his casual smile. "It would seem you're not the only ones making waves and fighting the perceived Proxian threat. Some crazy young woman managed to hack the Osenia Network station and transmitted a message practically worldwide saying much the same thing you just did then. It happened only yesterday."

Piers and Kraden exchanged glances at this, and Kraden took the opportunity to sit forward. "That network is stationed in Alhafra, which is why you asked?"

"Yes. I wondered if any of you had something to do with this, but I guess you were in transit by this point."

"I _might_ have had something to do with this." Kraden paused. "Indirectly, though. Before leaving with Piers, I was sanctioned by Lemuria to go undercover in Alhafra and band together a group of the local net hackers for use as an extra information source. As soon as we'd discovered the early stages of Project Psynergy, we had them look into it and occasionally infiltrate Proxian facilities for information. We were discovered and the organisation smashed, however."

Piers coughed quietly.

"Whatever the case, there may have been survivors. We escaped after fending off the pair of Proxians that came knocking, and surely there had to have been others who made it out. Perhaps this woman was one." Kraden considered this. "Piers, do you think it would be safe to go back to Alhafra and investigate?"

"It wouldn't be completely out of the question... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't even seen this broadcast yet."

"I'll be able to fix that for you," Briggs piped up. "First, though, I'd better make my own conditions and terms clear." He leaned forward. "Number one: I'm happy to harbour you guys for as long as you need, that's not a problem. Hospitality and such. But I have to ask that you not drag Champa into this through your actions. We may have a sordid past, but we try our best to put that behind us, and we're not quite as strong as you might think."

"I understand," Piers replied. "Anything else?"

"Number two: I'll extend what authority I can over Champa to see if we can put our ear to the ground and get some intel for you. No promises, but we'll pass over what we know. We may not be officially taking sides, but Lemuria has been fair to us as of late whereas Prox continues to make it clear that they don't trust us as far as they can throw us. Beyond that, I don't know what else I can offer you."

"Can number three at least be not supporting the Proxians?" Mia said, half as much to make herself feel like she actually belonged here than because it needed to be said.

"Aye, miss, that I can do. Champa will stay out of this, but we'll pass you what we can. Just return the favour by making sure that the Proxians have reason to let us stay out." Briggs held his hand out to Piers. "Sound fair?"

"Sounds fair. Deal." Piers clasped the hand and shook it firmly.

"Deal. Well, then. What say I take you to the audience chambers, as it were, and we'll get you a copy of that transmission?"

"That would be very much appreciated."

The small group clumsily made their way out of the private boat and back onto the dock, and in moments Briggs was leading them towards the shoreline proper. Piers and Briggs continued to make small talk as if to further obscure how important the information they'd shared in private was. If nothing else, it left Mia to her thoughts.

It seemed that no matter how much she tried to justify her situation to herself, something always came up to make her realise just how absurdly far removed she was from her home and her normal life. A psychology student working as an intern in her long time home city of Imil... now witness to and possessing incredibly supernatural powers, working with Lemurian special agents in Champa to prevent a second Proxian War.

She felt a pang of homesickness then, and wondered absently where Ivan was and if he was holding up okay.

"Pardon the interruption," Kraden said suddenly, and Mia looked up. The old man wasn't looking at her, however, but was addressing Piers and Briggs. "But I was just wondering, Briggs, if you've heard of any rogue Lemurians passing through the area recently. Or any area, for that matter."

"Rogue Lemurians? Besides you guys?" He smirked, but turned serious in a heartbeat. "I can't think of any, not since those smugglers that Piers took out. Why, looking for someone in particular?"

"Yes. A captain of the Lemurian Navy recently deserted, and we've been trying to track his movements. His name is Alex."

Mia's blood went cold. _Alex?! _No, surely not. Alex was a fairly common name, there was no way... and yet, a Lemurian naval captain? No. Impossible.

"The name isn't ringing any bells, I'm afraid." Briggs shrugged, and Mia found herself unable to restrain her curiosity any longer.

"Um, Kraden... this Alex person... he didn't happen to live in Imil for a time, did he?"

Piers and Kraden both stopped dead in their tracks and stared at Mia directly, and her blood immediately went from chilled to frozen solid. They wouldn't give her that reaction if there was no correlation, so... could it be?

Could the Alex she knew have really deserted and gone rogue?

"Why?" Piers asked. His voice was quiet and friendly... but it sounded like the friendliness was being forced somehow. "Do you know him?"

"...I might have. I grew up in Imil with a Lemurian boy named Alex. He left a few years ago and returned to Lemuria to apply for the Navy, and we stayed in touch... I haven't heard from him in a few months though." She frowned, chewing her lip. "This sounds like a little too much of a coincidence to not be the same person..."

Once again, Piers and Kraden exchanged glances, and Piers gave a quick shake of his head. The old man turned to her and sighed. "It very much sounds like they are the same person."

"Like I said, then, I haven't heard from him in a few months. His last email said that he might be a while getting back to me since he was going to get quite busy from now on, but he didn't specify why." Mia sighed. "He's more than just a deserter, or you wouldn't be acting like you are now. This is... big, isn't it?"

"More than you can imagine," Kraden muttered.

"We'll explain when we're in private again." Piers frowned. "But I warn you now, you're probably not going to like what you hear."

"I was kidnapped from Imil by Proxians weeks ago. Since then, I haven't liked much of what I've heard." Mia rolled her eyes, trying to put on a strong face, and just kept walking. "Let's go see this hacking business."

Briggs had remained silent during this exchange, looking over the three as they'd talked. Finally, he shook his head and just kept walking. "Anyone could lose their mind trying to make sense of this crazy story," he muttered to himself.

...

Jenna ate another spoonful of cereal, looking dejectedly from her vantage point on Isaac's bed at the TV. Though she had been hoping to cause more of a stir with their antics, in hindsight she really wasn't surprised that it had been covered up. The Osenia Network had made a small apology announcement for the unexpected break in their usual broadcasts and had proceeded back to normal, with none of their programs or news reels covering the incident. As for the other stations... well, their work had been mentioned briefly at best before the storm in Imil had hit, and now there was little else on.

She knew that the move would draw some interest and comment across the internet, but unfortunately it was very difficult to coerce people to act from there. They needed public, mainstream attention... but it had all been covered up. Hopefully the word got out to some people at least, but the damage had been done and there simply wasn't as much as she'd hoped.

Clicking the remote a few times just proved the point. A practically record-setting electrical storm over Imil... considerable property damage and rioting... several dead and dozens injured... Prox officials promising aid if required to the stricken city...

Wait, that last one was interesting. Jenna stopped on that channel and leaned forward, putting the bowl of cereal down and turning up the volume slightly.

"Prox has been given less than positive attention as of late, and through no fault of our own," said the Proxian speaker on the screen. "However, our neighbour of Imil has long been on excellent terms with us, and thus it would be wrong of us to be negligent in their hour of need. We are on hand to assist them with medical teams and reconstruction as they need."

The report ended there and the broadcast cut back to the news room, turning to an entirely unrelated topic, and Jenna lowered the volume. It took her a moment to realise that she was practically grinding her teeth at it.

Complete crap. All of it. They'd seen her announcement, and they'd just neatly forced it out of the picture and put on a huge fake grin while dishing out as much positive PR as they possibly could. Anyone with any sense could see through this garbage and see the truth... couldn't they?

And yet... Jenna sighed, flopping back listlessly onto the bed. Those who hadn't seen her broadcast or had no reason to suspect anything would probably not even consider the opportunity that Prox had nothing but good intentions. Project Psynergy wasn't yet something tangible that the common man could see, but a storm hitting Imil with Prox coming to assist the recovery efforts afterwards was. They had more reason to believe Prox than her.

She was frustrated. Sure, the idea to hack into the TV station had been a great plan, and Isaac had made sure they got away with it cleanly... but trying to convince everyone that some kind of conspiracy was afoot was not easy. People were apathetic. Jenna knew this well from experience, and so if they had the option to disbelieve in the inconvenient truth, they probably would. Just as long as it didn't require anything from them.

Alerting the public and trying to get support for them had probably been the wrong thing to do. If anything, it was a big mistake... now Jenna's face was publicised and she had to keep a low profile. Hence why she was stuck in Isaac's apartment instead of shopping in Alhafra with him, getting her disguises.

Not that there was anything particularly wrong with Isaac's apartment... but it was a lot better when Isaac was around to share it. Jenna smiled at that.

The smile faded and she sat bolt upright as the door clicked, and she was about to rise and go for her pistol before she came to her senses and stopped herself. Moments later, the lock turned and the door opened to reveal Isaac carrying a few bags... of course. Who else would it have been?

She was getting paranoid. Clearly she needed to get out of this place for a while and stretch her legs.

Apparently her discomfort was visible in his features, because as soon as he closed the door, Isaac turned to her with a concerned look. "Are you okay, Jenna? You look a little jumpy."

Jenna nodded absently and stood up, moving over to him and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before helping him with the bags. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I just have cabin fever or something."

He laughed for a moment. "I can't say I blame you. Being in here all the time is one thing, but not having the option to go outside and elsewhere when you need to is another. Still, hopefully we can fix that."

"Hopefully. Did you get funny looks for buying make-up and hair dye?"

"A few. It's amazing how you can honestly and sincerely say "It's for my girlfriend" and yet nobody will believe you." Isaac grinned. "There's a couple of bits and pieces of clothing in there as well, but the spree we had a few days ago should suffice for the most part."

"Mmm." Jenna fished through the bags and retrieved a bottle of blonde hair dye, studying it for a moment with a look of distaste. "Blonde...? Really?"

"I didn't really know what colour you'd rather, so I got black as well." Isaac held up his hands defensively. "Not a personal preference, I swear."

"Sure it's not." She put the hair dye back, absently fiddling with her hair as she did so. "Maybe I should wear it in more of a ponytail... maybe wear it up... I don't know. I haven't had to bother making myself look different before."

"We can figure it out. I'm probably going to use that hair dye when you're done as well."

Jenna smirked. "Because you really need to be even more blonde."

"What can I say? I just want my hair to stand out like a lighthouse." He smirked right back at her before heading over to the small kitchenette to unpack the rest of the bags. "So, how's the public reaction to our work?"

The playfulness that had quickly emerged sank back into the depths of her mind as the serious matters sprang back to Jenna's attention. "What little reaction there is is pretty much focused around the usual hacking groups who are already onto Project Psynergy, or amongst the conspiracy theorist groups. In short, there hasn't been a great gain. General mainstream attention was drawn away from it pretty quickly by that storm in Imil, a very convenient cover up."

"Yes... very convenient." Isaac frowned. "Convenient that the day when Prox really needs to shift attention away from itself and suddenly make the world look at it positively, a massive storm bombards the nearest major population centre and everything else regarding them is forgotten."

"That's what I thought." Jenna folded her arms and looked at the ceiling as she considered it. "That storm is more than convenient... it's practically divine intervention."

"Or Psynergetical intervention." Isaac paused, and made a face. "Psynergetic? Is that even a real word? We're going to have to invent a new vocabulary for this, I think."

Jenna laughed. "Worry about that later. Still... I was considering that as well. It's far too convenient and excellently timed, especially for a storm of that size and power. You think Prox is behind it?"

"They'd have to be. Otherwise it's the biggest coincidence ever to strike Weyard, and I don't like believing in coincidence like that." He shrugged. "Of course, I have no idea _how_ they'd manage something of that magnitude... I doubt I could make an earthquake big enough to shake an entire city, so I can't imagine any of the Proxians creating the storm."

"But you don't know just how they're powering themselves with Psynegy. Yours might be different."

"True." Isaac sighed, finishing the unpacking and moving over to flop onto the bed. Jenna noticed just how tired he looked like, and instinctively moved over to sit beside him. "I don't know. Maybe a group of them worked together to do it. Or maybe they have more tools that we're not aware of. Hell, maybe that's what Mercury Lighthouse does, for all we know of it."

Jenna patted his arm comfortingly. "Don't worry about it, then. We should worry about our next move instead."

"I suppose so." Isaac glanced over at her with a faint smile. "So. The broadcast probably wasn't the best of plans, I guess?"

"Probably. It's just not drawing enough attention to where we want it, and it probably drew a huge amount of attention to us." She shrugged. "I don't think we can count on too many other people suddenly leaping up and fighting the good fight, as it were."

"I assumed as much. Which means it's probably just going to be the two of us for a while."

"Not that that's a bad thing." She prodded his arm playfully, and he responded by drawing her into a hug to keep her pinned. With a smile, she continued. "Either way, I'm suddenly feeling a little tired of Alhafra. There's a lot of focus on this place, and most of it on me, so I think we'd be a lot better off if we just skipped town and went elsewhere to work. Perhaps somewhere closer to Prox."

"That's probably a good idea. All the information we have is the stuff Ivan and the Elementalists gave to us... and that was patchy at best." Isaac chewed his lip in thought. "A shame that we didn't work with Kraden enough to get access to the Lemurian data regarding the Project..."

"That would probably have been useful. Not much we can do about it, though..." Jenna sighed. "There's no telling if Kraden's even alive at this point. He might have been in the building when it was destroyed for all we know, and I don't think Lemuria would really buy it if we showed up on their doorstep and said "Hey, let us in, an old guy said we could work with you" without him. I can't imagine us getting a very positive reception."

Isaac didn't react to that for a few seconds, considering it. "You know, I think you'd be wrong. If we were to go up to Lemuria and explain that we were the ones behind the TV hacking – and we could, because we can match your face up against the recording – then they might just bring us on board."

Jenna blinked. That thought hadn't even occurred to her. She contemplated the implications for a moment. "Do you think we should do that?"

He considered it a bit further. "To be honest... not really. I didn't like how Kraden – and by extension, how Lemuria – was handling the whole Elementalist operation. Restricting information, limiting what damage we could have struck against them just for the sake of keeping face, not bothering to send any kind of recovery or support to Ivan... no, I don't think I'd want to work with Lemuria. It'd be too much bureaucratic red tape to deal with. I prefer just the two of us working together."

"I'm sure you do, dear." She leaned up against him, relaxing somewhat. While she was like this, all the threats of the Proxians and the chaos that the world seemed to be in and heading further towards didn't seem like such a big deal. "So we stay unaffiliated."

"That sounds reasonable to me. So then, rather than gather any kind of support, we should instead focus on getting information on what Prox is doing so we can try and stop it directly." Isaac paused. "To that end, I want to go to Imil. It's close to Prox, and we can always try raiding the installation again. We might be able to find out what happened to Ivan, too... and maybe even rescue him."

Jenna nodded. "That's what I'm thinking, too. Imil should be our next destination, then."

They both fell silent for a minute, content just to sit there with each other and ponder about things. Eventually, however, Jenna broke the silence.

"Well, if we have a destination set in mind, we should probably get ready to make tracks. So, I need a makeover. Can't get out of here without a decent disguise." She looked towards Isaac expectantly.

"You do realise I have absolutely no idea how to even begin such an undertaking?" Isaac gave her a sheepish grin.

"And I'm slightly relieved by this." Jenna returned the grin. "Don't worry, a makeover is nothing too serious. I'll show you how it's done, and then you'd easily be able to try it on yourself if you need to."

"Greeeeeat. Just what I always wanted."

...

"This is your captain speaking. We appreciate your patience with us on this flight, and we are now making our final descent into Lalivero International Airport. The local time is 1:20pm, and the weather is a clear and sunny 22 degrees. Please return your trays to their upright positions and fasten your seat belts. Thank you for flying Tolbi Airlines."

The announcement brought Menardi out of her nap and she sat upright with a start, looking around for a moment to remind herself where she was. The realisation made her sigh and sit back in her seat. At least the flight was almost over.

Normally she had a lot of trouble sleeping on flights. It wasn't because she was afraid of flying or anything like that, but rather because she normally had things to occupy herself with. Not so this time. She hadn't brought much in the way of entertainment with her to Tolbi, and her only form of conversation was with the incredibly quiet, reserved, and _dull_ Iodem.

It was mildly infuriating. The man either didn't have a personality, or was so professional that he had completely put it aside around her. He'd answer most questions if asked, but would do so in such a simple and minimal way that it would at the same time answer her question and completely kill off all potential for further conversation. Thus, without having anyone to talk to or anything to do in the brief flight, Menardi had quickly dozed off. A quick glance to her left showed that Iodem was still there, quietly reading a newspaper.

Oh well. Now that they had almost landed, she could feel the growing anticipation in her chest returning. It wasn't the work or the tasks ahead of her that was causing it – rather, it was the impending reunion with Saturos.

Shortly before the flight that morning, Felix had gotten in contact with her. His orders from Alex had been to retrieve Saturos and Karst, which he had done so days ago, and then to proceed directly to Lalivero. He was going to stow the boat out there and turn it over to another Proxian associate before the three of them would meet up with her and help her oversee Alex's plans there.

Menardi knew that for all of them, this was essentially a nice, easy, relaxing vacation compared to the orders they were likely to receive in the near future. Alex was giving them downtime. And really... it would be good to have it, especially with Saturos there. Regardless of how Karst would react, she had missed him terribly and had every intention of not letting her out of her sight for as long as she could in Lalivero.

That in itself would create problems, though... he was recognisable after the Madra incident, and so while she'd be off acting as a go between for Alex and Babi, Saturos and the others would likely have to remain undercover. And, by the sounds of it, they'd have to acquire a doctor as well. Not to mention oversee all the work that was going to take place when the Proxians came in and made a few modifications to the Babi Lighthouse...

This certainly wasn't a pleasure trip. But damned if she wasn't going to at least make it pleasurable. Alex didn't pay her enough to insist on anything else!

The plane landed in the Lalivero airport without incident, and fairly soon Menardi was trailing after Iodem. She had to admit that he was good for something... he managed to get them through customs in a matter of seconds and with only the most cursory inspections. Diplomatic immunity had its benefits, it seemed.

"I rang ahead this morning and arranged for a room for myself at the hotel that's tied to the Tolbi Embassy," Iodem said casually as they retrieved their luggage. "Since you're not officially here as a diplomat to Lalivero, however, I couldn't arrange the same favor to you. I did arrange for a hotel room for you at another place. It's closer to the harbour so you can go inspect the Lighthouse as you see fit, and it's not too far from the Embassy so we can reconvene as necessary."

"That's very convenient of you. Thank you." Menardi offered a placating smile.

"You're welcome. All part of my duties, of course. I've also arranged a hire car for you so that you need not rely on me or public transport to get around. You're free to roam about as you wish and see to whatever agendas you might or might not secretly have."

He gave her a bright smile, and suddenly Menardi wasn't sure if he actually had a sense of humor buried away, or he was mocking her... or worse. She decided that she was going to pick apart her suitcase with a fine-toothed comb for bugs as soon as she got to the hotel.

All that said and done, Iodem lead her to the hire car desk. A little paperwork and a short trip to the carpark later, and Menardi was waving to the Tolbi diplomat as she started the engine and made her way out of the airport and into Lalivero proper.

She hadn't been to this city before, but she found that it had a lot of similarities to other cities in Angara in terms of style and building design, which was especially curious since Lalivero wasn't even on that continent. The people she saw along the roads and in other cars all seemed of fair complexion and build compared to that of most natives of Gondowan, like those in Kibombo. That was odd. Perhaps it had been settled by Angarans first?

Menardi sighed to herself, wondering why the sudden interest in history and architecture, and she knew the answer immediately. For whatever reason, there was an entire nest of butterflies in her stomach, and she couldn't fight down her sudden nervousness. She had no reason to be so stressed – she was meeting up with Saturos and her sister, after all, and so aside from playful jeers and jokes from Karst, there was likely to be nothing bad happening...

But there was, and she knew it. Saturos was still likely to be picked out and apprehended after the incident in Madra, and doubly so if Karst's raid on Alhafra had drawn witnesses. They'd need to be careful, need to keep him out of the public's eye as much as possible, and they still needed to arrange for the Proxian teams to come in and assist the construction process, plus they needed to find a doctor who could keep a secret to see about Saturos' broken arm, not to mention...

"Relax, you crazy woman," Menardi muttered to herself, focusing for the time being on driving. No sense in getting overwhelmed now. Her tasks were clear... she knew what she was doing... Alex could sort the rest of this out while she just did her job. At least he was being nice enough to give her a break.

Pfeh. Who was she kidding? He'd likely be on the phone to her in a few days telling her to lead an invasion of Xian and perform the Psynergy equivalent of a carpet bombing for all she knew. Best just to enjoy what little rest she could and not think on it at all.

The insistent voice of her electronic navigator told her that the hotel was just ahead, so she parked the car out the front and entered. The hotel wasn't that large, by the looks of it – only a couple of storeys tall – but the lobby was well furnished and it looked reasonably well to do, as did the cheery looking blonde receptionist.

"Good afternoon ma'am," she said with a perky voice that made Menardi want to punch her lights out. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I had a reservation here under the name of Menardi. It was rung ahead by Iodem."

"One moment..." the receptionist typed quickly into her computer and nodded. "Ah, here you are. That was the two bedroom apartment, right?"

Menardi kept her face impassive, but inwardly she was frowning. Two bedrooms? Iodem... did he know more than he was letting on? Or did he just assume she'd end up having company at some point?

"Yes, that was it." She paused for a moment before making a snap decision. "However, it turns out I'll have more people joining me, so I'd like to extend that reservation to another two bedroom suite as well if possible?"

"That can be arranged. The room right across from you just became available this morning, actually. Will that do?"

"That would be perfect, thank you."

A few deft keystrokes, a little more paperwork, and a quick swipe of the credit card that Alex had given her to cover for this trip, and it was done. With the room keys in hand, Menardi retrieved her luggage from the car and then headed to inspect her new hideaway.

It wasn't a bad little apartment by any stretch of the imagination. The main living room had a decent sized kitchenette and lead off to a bathroom with a bath and two bedrooms, each with a queen sized bed. Iodem had made sure she'd be in comfort, if nothing else. She couldn't help but smile... perhaps this wouldn't be nearly as bad as she was dreading.

Leaving her suitcase there and locking the door behind her, she went back to business mode. Moments later she was in the car again and driving south.

The harbour and lighthouse to be were about half an hour out of Lalivero, but that wasn't where she was headed. Ten minutes after leaving the outskirts, she veered east and made for the coast. Her navigator showed little but an unsealed road lined by trees out this way, but the instructions Felix had been given by Alex were very precise in their directions.

In fairly short order, she found the trees thinning out to a small and secluded little beach. Even as she pulled the car up, she could see that a boat had been beached on the sand while a few people stood just nearby, talking amongst themselves. The sight was enough to bring a grin to her face.

She could easily recognise Felix for being the only non-Proxian in the group, his brown ponytail swaying slightly as he had an animated discussion with a Proxian man that she didn't recognise. Beside Felix, Karst was standing and laughing at something that had been said. Curiously, from that distance Menardi could see a change in her little sister... she seemed to be standing awfully close to Felix, buzzing around him faintly. Something interesting had happened while she wasn't present, apparently.

The thing that made Menardi really grin, however, was the sight of Saturos carefully climbing down from the boat and onto the sand. His arm was wrapped up in an impromptu sling and he looked tired, but otherwise the face was more than enough to chase away any nervousness and replace it with a warm and fuzzy sensation.

She stepped out of the car and onto the beach, heading towards the small group. Saturos was the first to notice her, and he took a moment to make sure that Felix and Karst were still occupied before quickly jogging up towards her.

"Good to see you ag-" Menardi started before he reached her and immediately wrapped her in a tight hug with his good arm. She happily returned the hug, and before she could continue speaking, she found her mouth suddenly occupied with him kissing her intently and passionately.

While not unwelcome in the slightest, it was incredibly surprising. The two had tiptoed on the edge of romance for years as quite often happened in the case of cross-gender Proxian partners and best friends, but neither of them had ever really done more than that. It was almost like that was all they'd needed their relationship to be, a great and unbreakable friendship, and so they'd never felt rushed or forced to be anything more. Well... until now, it seemed.

They held the kiss for a few seconds before gradually pulling away. "Well hello to you too," Menardi said, practically swooning as she said it.

"I missed you so much, Menardi." Saturos smiled broadly, though he gave a faint sigh. "So much has happened and it just... made me realise a few things. I should have done that a lot sooner."

She patted his back affectionately. "You don't have to worry about it... I understand. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but I'll live. I'm just going to be glad to get away from Felix and Karst for a while. Particularly Karst. Your sister has been completely insufferable this whole trip here."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.

Before Saturos could explain anything further, the others had finally noticed the pair and had run up to join them. Felix seemed to have a knowing smile on his face, but Karst was practically cackling in delight at the sight.

"Sheesh, it's about time, you two. I figured I was going to have to start taking matters into my own hands with matchmaking or something soon enough." Karst folded her arms and nodded. "Glad to see I didn't have to get involved, or there would have been very harsh lectures for the both of you."

"See, this is exactly what I mean," Saturos muttered as he pulled away from Menardi.

"Don't mind her. It's good to see you, Menardi." Felix smiled. "I trust you had a safe trip here?"

"Safe as can be, and probably a lot more than you guys." She gestured in the direction of the boat. "I guess that's all taken care of?"

"Yeah, I've handed it over to be taken back to Prox." Felix shrugged. "It's a shame, I kind of got used to that boat. I'm going to miss it."

"Pfft. You might say that, but I'm glad I don't have to be on it any longer." Saturos rolled his eyes before looking back at Menardi. "I guess we need to find a place to curl up and hide me for now. Have you had a chance to get anything sorted?"

Menardi nodded. "I've got hotel rooms. There's only two of them though, two bedrooms each, so we'll have to share. And since I've got the most medical experience out of anyone, I should probably pair up with Saturos to keep an eye on his arm. I trust that's not a problem?"

She glanced between Felix and Karst. Her sister had a broad grin on her face, whereas Felix's smile had turned... somewhat goofy? Odd.

"I'm suuuure you'll be keeping a close eye on him, sis," Karst said with a nod. "So you go right ahead. I don't think I'd want to share your room just to have you sit there and whine to me about how you wonder if he's okay or not anyway..."

"Oh stow it." Fighting the urge to blush, she turned on her heel and headed back to the car. "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got things to do."

...

It was good to get out of the Jupiter Lighthouse for a while. Not that Contigo airport was a bastion of civilisation... but the principle of the matter applied.

Alex sat at one of the small coffee shops that was built into the departure terminal, unhurriedly sipping a coffee and counting the minutes before his plane was due to take off. After everything he'd had to manage lately, this was a small and welcome reprieve from the endless tasks that confronted him. He had set up a very large and incredibly daring plan that was culminating now with Project Psynergy, and the infrastructure that he had to juggle to manage such a feat was monstrous.

He'd never tell anyone, not even his closest associates and assistants, but it was draining him. Alex did his utmost to put on a calm and controlled face to better encourage everyone to work harder towards their ultimate objective, but the amount of work he had to do was enough to break lesser men. He was tired, very tired, and so he'd practically leapt at the opportunity to simply disappear for a few days.

Of course, it was a business trip... when he arrived at Alhafra he'd be back to work immediately, and perhaps find himself in a dangerous and potentially threatening situation compared to what he'd been doing previously. That would be a nice change to paperwork, though. He was a naval officer after all, not a desk-bound clerk.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. Mercury Lighthouse was almost ready to start undergoing testing, and Agatio knew enough about the program to oversee it all smoothly when he returned. The construction of Mars Lighthouse was making good time, and it would likely be nearing operational status in a fortnight or so. That just left Venus Lighthouse, and that was being built more for the sake of balance and control than any real necessity in his plans. Besides, Menardi was making sure that that would go ahead smoothly too... and due to the unique nature of the required construction, Venus Lighthouse would be ready in a much shorter time than all the others.

Yes, it was all going well, and his plans were finally at a stage where Alex was comfortable handing over responsibility to the Proxians. He could use this hard earned break to go and have some fun on the field... perhaps he'd even get to try out his Psynergy in actual practical use.

He'd been practicing with it secretly for some time, and very few people were aware of his augmentation. He was just as good by now, if not better, than any other Proxian Adept under his command. Not even Saturos or Menardi could match him, to his knowledge. Combine that with the individuality of him being the only Mercury Adept, and he felt that his place as leader and overseer of Project Psynergy was safely assured.

Well... he was the only Mercury Adept in Prox's armada, anyway.

Alex frowned, quickly drained his coffee, and left the shop immediately. He had to force himself to shake his head and drop the subject.

No... he would not allow him to think about Mia again, nor Piers. That brought up the problems that he'd put aside for the time being, and he'd deal with them in due course once the immediate problem was settled. Alhafra and the remnants of the hackers came first.

He checked his watch. Boarding time was in fifteen minutes... probably best if he moved to the departure gate and waited there.

No sooner had Alex started taking steps in that direction, however, did he suddenly feel dizzy. He blinked a few times and slowed down, leaning against the wall to steady himself while he waited for the feeling to pass.

Seconds went by, and it _didn't_ pass. He shook his head again, trying to clear it, but the dizziness persisted.

"_Hey, you!"_

What was that? It had sounded like a high-pitched voice... Alex looked around quickly, but this part of the terminal seemed quiet, and none of the passers by were trying to get his attention. So where had the voice come from?

"_You! The blue haired guy!"_

He looked around again, but instantly he knew it to be futile. The voice had sounded fuzzy and indistinct, and it wasn't coming from anybody near him, nor was it from some kind of communicator.

It was as if the voice was coming from himself. But he hadn't said anything... it was as though the noise was originated from his within his own head.

"_I know you can hear me!"_

What the hell was this? Alex gripped his stomach suddenly as a sudden wave of nausea hit him, and the dizziness was still not abating in the slightest. Fighting the illness and a sudden sense of alarm, he pushed himself off the wall and quickly hurried to the nearest restroom.

"_You've done all this! Why are you waking us up?"_

Us? Waking them up? And all this coming from what sounded like a voice in his head? The alarm was spreading through him and quickly turning into panic, forcing Alex to use every kind of calming relaxation technique he knew to focus himself and put it aside so he could keep going.

It wasn't easy, though, and his thoughts were wandering at the development. The analytical part of his mind insisted on trying to find an answer for this conundrum, and possibilities quickly came into focus before discrediting themselves, leaving him with only one hypothesis to work with.

The Psynergy was talking to him.

Somehow, the bacteria that was coursing through his veins was making him feel this and trying to communicate with him.

Alex knew that it was insane to even consider it, but no other answer presented itself for the time being. And why couldn't it be the truth? After all, the bacteria somehow generated enough energy to manipulate psychic forces and alter the physical state of the world around it. It was already far-fetched enough as it stood, so was it really that hard to believe that the Psynergy might not have some control over the host body as well...?

Now he _really_ felt like he was going to be sick. None of the history books had said anything like this, and none of the documents he'd procured in Tundaria even remotely suggested that something like this could happen, but it felt like it was happening now. Had he... had he gone so far as to willingly inject himself with a parasite that could control him?!

"_You can't ignore me forever!"_

_Yes, I can._

Alex found the restroom and surged inside, quickly finding an empty cubicle to lock himself into. With barely a moment's hesitation, he started to retch, and stayed that way for a whole minute before his stomach finally settled.

Gradually, the dizziness began to abate as well, and the voice fell silent. He waited there, his throat sore and mind still reeling from what had just happened, but nothing more was said by this mysterious visitation. Knowing that he had a plane to catch and very little time remaining, Alex quickly cleaned himself up as best as he could and made his way to his departure point.

None of the symptoms arose again, but Alex was still wary that it would return somehow while he waited. After a few minutes, boarding began and he found his way to the seat on the plane. Nothing happened, and nothing continued to happen even after the plane taxied out to the runway and finally took off.

Whatever it had been, it was gone for now. Best that he put it out of his mind until he could properly deal with it. He still had a job to do, a task to perform, a grand destiny to achieve. He was en route to Alhafra now, and woe betide those who would dare stand against him when he landed.

But for the first time since he'd begun his crusade... Alex was afraid.

...

**Author's Notes:** So, my conditions for writing this were simple – get the entire chapter done by within twelve hours of the current time of posting, or a friend would go on and delete my FF Net account for me. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and the incentive was more than enough to see this through to the end. I'll have to try something like it in the near future to keep the chapters coming at a decent rate, but hopefully I can do that for myself. Nonetheless, as ever I hope you're enjoying the story... assuming there's anybody out here left to still enjoy it. Until next time.


	24. Investigation

**Author's Notes: **Ugh, finally. This chapter may have been released in comparatively short order when viewed against my typical schedule, but it's been fraught with so many technical difficulties along the way that I could have easily released it back in early June. No matter, it's here now. Things are moving along quite nicely now, I think...

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 19 – Investigation**

She'd had all day to stew on the revelation, but that didn't make it any more palatable.

Briggs had spared little expense in making their group comfortable and well looked after for the day, and had promised similar treatment as long as they remained. Still, every bit of food or drink that Mia tasted had turned to ash in her mouth, and no creature comforts seemed to ease her mind. Not even a shower, new clothes, and the promise of a good night's sleep on a bed that didn't rock with the waves was comforting her, hence why she was wandering the harbour again instead of resting.

It had to be close to midnight now, and Kraden had already turned in when she'd left. Piers and Briggs were still renewing old friendships and discussing the chaotic state of the world, so she doubted they'd noticed her slip out.

She wasn't sure why she was out here. She'd had plenty of time to think about things throughout the day, and it hadn't made any of it easier to bear. She didn't really feel like exercise, but she didn't want to just sit still either... it was all she could think of to do.

Even at this time of night, the Champa docks were hardly inactive. There were still fishermen bringing in their boats and unloading their day's catch, and there seemed to be a market set up on the shoreline where people still lingered and browsed various stalls. Mia wandering through them for a while, looking at all the sundry items on display but generally staring right through them. Soon enough she'd given up entirely and just kept walking.

Eventually, she found a nice sandy spot on the beach just away from the docks, and perched down near the water's edge. The waves lapped back and forth, drowning out the distant noise of the market to leave her alone with her thoughts.

"Alex..."

The word came almost unbidden from her, and she sighed heavily before pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them tightly, resting her chin on her knees. How the hell was she supposed to believe any of this?

Alex... her childhood friend, a kind of big brother to her, the person she was closest to in the entire world...

How could he be responsible for all of this?

She stood up suddenly and thrust her hands forward, screaming into the night air. She was dimly aware of the mental sensation that she had when calling on her Psynergy before the incoming waves suddenly lurched backwards and broke straight up into the open air, sending massive sheets of water several metres up before crashing back to the ocean loudly.

Mia screamed again, and a third time before her throat started to go hoarse. Then, all her energy spent, she slumped back into her sitting position on the sand, buried her head against her knees, and sobbed loudly.

It was most unbecoming of a psychologist to be acting this outrageously, a dim voice in the back of her head said to her, but she shushed it and continued to let the pent up emotion go. All the uncertainty, fear, anger and despair washed out of her in waves of tears as the events of the day replayed themselves in her head.

When they'd arrived at Briggs' private audience chamber and reunited with his wife and son, Piers and Kraden had sat her down and explained the full situation. The Proxians and their Project Psynergy were at the very core of everything going on in the world for the moment, but at the core of the Proxians... was Alex.

She'd had no reason to disbelieve anything they'd said. Both of them could describe Alex physically to incredible detail and had spoken of his career, his racing through the ranks of the Lemurian navy, his assignment to the Tundaria expedition almost completely by chance... and his assault, drugging, and kidnap of Piers. How Piers had escaped from Prox but found out without a shred of doubt that Alex was pulling the strings of the entire operation.

It all added up, and that was the horrifying thing. Mia was too realistic, too measured to allow any kind of denial into her assessment of what she'd been told, but deny she did. How could it possibly be the truth? How could Alex, such a kind and thoughtful man, be responsible for so much chaos? How could he be responsible for the kidnapping and subsequent experiments performed on her?

It was all too much, and so the tears flowed until she couldn't possibly imagine crying any more. She continued to sob quietly, wondering if anyone had her screams, but it didn't seem like anyone had come to investigate yet. As her anguish faded, the practical and calm side of her mind took control once more and tried to sort itself out.

Okay. First things first. Regardless of whether or not the details regarding Alex were true, she'd already made up her mind to use her Psynergy to stop the Proxians from repeating their actions on anyone else. So regardless of who was behind them, she was certain that she had to keep her head on straight and maintain control. Letting her Psynergy loose like she'd just done was stupid and dangerous.

Now. What could she do about Alex?

Well... until she met him again, there wasn't much she could do. Perhaps she could try and send an email to him and hope that he'd answer even though he'd said he'd be away for a time...

No. Bad idea. If he really was behind her kidnapping for any reason, letting him know that she was out there and knew of the experiments was likely to only get her in trouble, and there was no way Alex would answer her. If she just tried to contact him without mentioning anything suspicious, then he'd likely find a way to trace it back to her and maybe figure out where she was. And if his intentions were malicious...

The risks far outweighed anything she might gain from it. It wasn't worth it. Mia sighed and looked up at the sky as if seeking an answer there.

How could he have fallen so far from grace? He'd moved from Lemuria to Imil and just across the street from her when she was only a little girl, and despite the fact that he was slightly older than her, they'd become fast friends. Well... maybe not immediately, since there was plenty of name calling and hair pulling (on both sides, no less) until they got past the general dislike of the opposite gender that was so prevalent in children. But after a few years, they'd settled into a great friendship.

They'd helped each other out through everything, with Alex making sure to keep a close eye out for her during high school, keeping her clear of any trouble. She'd taken to considering him the brother that she'd never had, and they'd gradually grown inseparable. In hindsight, Mia had had a serious crush on him, but before she could act on it, Alex had completed school at an early age and moved away to jump straight into the Lemurian Navy.

And then he was gone from her life. Well, not entirely – they were frequent pen pals, and there was practically never a week until just recently when they'd never been in touch. He'd done exceptionally well as a naval officer, and zoomed through the ranks at a prodigious rate, earning his own command in no time at all. But that left little time for leave to come and visit, and so their friendship had dwindled somewhat as Mia focused on her own schooling, and eventually on her internship as a psychologist.

Something must have happened while he was there... but what? What could make an intelligent, respectable young man like Alex betray everything he stood for? How did he find Psynergy?

It was too much of a complete reversal of his character, and there had to be something behind it. Mia looked back up at the ocean, her eyes still red from crying.

She was committed to finding out what had been done to her, and stopping it from happening to any others against their will. All the incidents she'd noticed in Imil before her own kidnapping suggested that Prox's movements had been far more widespread than anyone might really believe, and it all had to stop. Every last bit of it.

If she stayed with Piers and kept on fighting it as she'd already chosen, then sooner or later they'd stop Prox. And if they stopped Prox, they'd get to Prox's leader. And that was, according to everything Piers had suggested, Alex.

Then she'd find out from him just what the hell was going on and why this had happened. She wanted the answers from him. No other outcome would satisfy her.

Mia stood and dusted the sand off her clothes. She knew it would take a little more than just that to get her emotions completely in check, but she was tough, she was calm. She could deal with this.

"Oh good, no shark attack victim. I thought that's what the screaming I heard was."

The voice was familiar and laced with both concern and humour, so Mia was unsurprised when she looked over and saw Piers. He was holding two paper cups in his hand and sipping one of them. The other he held out for her. "I figured you could use this."

Mia took the cup with a small nod, though she raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late for coffee?"

"Exactly why it's hot chocolate." Piers shrugged. "I thought you could use a comfort drink, and hot chocolate always does the trick for me."

"Ah. Well, thanks." She took a sip, then looked pained for a moment. "I guess you heard me?"

"Yeah. I knew what it had to be immediately once we realised that you'd gone out, and even though I guessed you needed some time alone, I still wanted to come and make sure you were alright. As alright as you can be, anyway."

"Heh. Well... I thought my world had already been turned upside down already, but it seemed like I'd only just scratched the surface."

"If you need to talk about it or just vent or something... that's why I'm here." Piers gave her a smile.

"It's alright. I appreciate that, but I think I've mostly resolved it for now. I'll be fine."

He nodded. "Well, the offer stands for whenever you need it."

"Thanks." Mia sipped her drink again, then chewed her lip. "Was I yelling that loudly? I'm amazed nobody came to check out the noise. Were there many people around where you got these?"

"There had to have been at least two dozen people who heard you," Piers said quietly, sipping his drink. "Of all those people, only a handful even reacted to the noise, and then none of them aside from me bothered to investigate. It's kind of sad, really... so many people in the world, and so many different ways people could make it all better. But they refuse to let it be their own problem – they leave it for other people to investigate, or to do, and in the end they all just become one more bland face in the crowd."

Mia smirked. "You sound far too cynical for your age. Kinda like me."

He laughed. "What can I say? I've been training for the better part to be different to all those people, to go out and do something. I think King Hydros understood that, which is why he excused me from all my official Agent duties to deal with this whole Project Psynergy affair. I guess when you have to deal with the results of people's apathy, you get a little cynical about it."

"I have to deal with apathy as well, being a psychologist of sorts." Mia took a long sip of her drink, sighing. "Too many people with too many problems, and so many of them could be solved if people talked to each other about things. Failing that, all it takes is a little action to set entire lives in order, but inertia is a powerful motivator. People just don't want to change their ways if it takes too much effort... or indeed, any effort whatsoever."

"Nope. Which is why we kind of have to help them along a bit. Just because nobody else wants to do anything about Project Psynergy, doesn't mean that we shouldn't... right?"

She realised that he was looking over in her direction, and she quickly grasped the barely disguised questioning in his voice. Given the morning's revelation, he wasn't sure if she still wanted to keep fighting, so he was trying to sway her back to his side.

"You know, I'm already set on helping you deal with the Proxians." Mia flashed him a faint smile. "You don't need to convince me any further, I'm going to take action."

"Heh... you're good at this." Piers finished his drink before crushing the paper cup in his hand. "And of course you're very welcome to assist, since I doubt I can do this on my own."

"Don't worry, I understand. You and I both have personal reasons for going on this crusade." She paused. "Though it's for those reasons that I ask for a favour from you."

"What kind of favour is that?"

"I understand if you can't grant it, but simply put... if we somehow chase down Alex, I want to talk to him alone and find out what happened, why he had to cause all of this. I have to know. So whatever it takes, don't kill him, just try to capture him and let me speak to him. That's all I ask. Otherwise, I'm happy to help in whatever way I can."

Piers nodded. "Obviously, I cannot speak for everyone that's fighting against Prox, but if it somehow gets down to us against him, I'll hold back long enough for you to talk to him. But he must ultimately answer for what he's done. Still, I'll do what I can for you to the best of my capabilities. Promise."

"Thanks." Mia finished the rest of her coffee and started to head back towards their borrowed rooms. "I probably won't be able to sleep any better now, but at least my mind's at ease."

"That's something. It wouldn't do to have my colleague and hopefully future friend depressed and unable to function." He nodded politely to her. "I'll let you be and keep walking. Sleep well when you get around to it, Mia."

"Thanks Piers."

She kept on walking, dimly aware that the Lemurian lingered for a few seconds before heading off in his own direction. For now, she was alone with her thoughts once more. But at least they had some more semblance of order to them.

...

Alex was completely drained by the time the plane landed in Alhafra.

Plane trips, by nature, were not excessively taxing on anything except patience and whatever entertainment one had brought. The sensible side of Alex had insisted that he forget the incident at the airport and just sleep through the flight, but he couldn't. He'd remained in his seat, doing his best to fight sleep at every turn, as though sleeping might let the voice return. Whatever had tried to talk with him... he was well and truly spooked.

It was all he could do to keep moving at a steady pace through the terminal and into Alhafra proper. Only when he was a few streets away from the airport did Alex finally come to his senses.

At the end of the day, what happened happened. Whatever had spoken to him before had left him alone since, so there was nothing he could really do until it tried to return. There was little he could do to prevent what he didn't understand or couldn't even identify, so all he could do was continue on with his plans.

Whatever happened, happened. There was no sense fearing or dealing with what wasn't guaranteed to occur again. Why was he overreacting to this?

Shaking his head at his own actions, Alex took a moment to rub his eyes and compose himself. He'd been so intent on staying awake to keep his demons at bay that he hadn't bothered to review what he needed to do in his head. Time to rectify that.

First things first was that he would need a base of operations, a place to sleep. There was bound to be a hotel that was still open and still had vacancy this close to the airport. However... he'd been sure to check maps of Alhafra before leaving, and compiled with data he'd collected from Karst's debriefing, he'd discovered the general whereabouts of the hacker headquarters.

Interestingly enough, it had been established in a refurbished office building only a short distance away from the airport. It was probably a sensible location... a busy part of the city so it didn't seem too suspicious if too many people showed up there too frequently, and close to most of the facilities in Alhafra that they might need.

The building was plainly obvious the second Alex walked by. It was after midnight by this point so he doubted anybody would notice him, but he still did his best to keep his interest in the building invisible and kept on walking right past it. He studied it out of the corner of his eye, though.

A good amount of the structure was still intact, but it looked as though a couple of the upper storeys had caught fire and consumed about a third of the building before being extinguished. No doubt that was the work of the Proxians. It had also started to collapse in a few places, though not necessarily in the same places that had been fire damaged. Curious.

The perimeter was sealed off by hastily erected barriers, and a few dormant construction vehicles were scattered around the area. According to signs, the building was to be demolished and rebuilt in the days ahead, and that the company had been relocated and could be accessed on a certain phone number. Alex quietly committed the number to memory as he walked on.

Soon he was past it, and he didn't look back. The building was in too much of a bad state to be kept in use by a hacking organisation, since suddenly the cover didn't look convincing enough and any activity other than knocking the place down would draw suspicions. His only lead for pursuing any of the hackers was now the face of the girl on TV, and that phone number.

Once he was in the next street, Alex reached into a pocket and retrieved a notepad, which he quickly scribbled the number into. He'd ring in the morning, at a reasonable business hour. Until then, the best he could was find a hotel and rest.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long to find one. Wandering back in the direction of the airport quickly found him standing in front of a cheap hotel, and in minutes he had paid for a room, found his way too it, and then collapsed on the bed, stopping only to remove his shoes and coat before passing out.

His sleep was surprisingly sound, and he awoke well into the morning feeling remarkably refreshed. Thinking little of it, he showered and changed clothes hurriedly before leaving his room. It was still before noon, which was good – he hadn't wasted too much of the day, so there was still plenty of time to investigate.

First things first. Alex retrieved his phone and dialled the number completely from memory.

_I'm sorry, the number you have dialled is disconnected. Please contact Directory Assistance for more information._

That wasn't entirely unsurprising. Alex shrugged to himself and dialled in a different number.

"Directory Assistance," said the pleasant female voice on the other end. "How may I help you?"

"Good morning. I'm inquiring about a phone number which is saying it's disconnected. Do you know anything about it?" He recited the number and then waited while the operator looked at her system.

"Hmm... I'm afraid there's nothing in my system about that number or why it's been disconnected. That's strange."

Alex silently wondered about the logic of trying to pursue an organisation of hackers. They were probably the best people in the world at covering tracks. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Very strange. I retrieved the number from the soon to be demolished building at 63 Dracos Street, since I just came to the city with directions from my boss to go there. Imagine my surprise when I find it's burnt out. Can you at least direct me to the company that owns it?"

"Certainly sir, just a moment." There was another pause before her voice came back, even more confused than before. "That's... also not on our system. I don't understand. There's no record of anybody owning the building at all, or any information at all except for its impending destruction."

No luck. They were good, apparently. "This is extremely bizarre... well, thank you for your assistance, then."

"I'm terribly sorry I wasn't able to help more, sir. Perhaps you'd like the number of the council engineer who's supervising the efforts? He might have more information for you."

Alex paused at this, then nodded. "If you would be so kind."

The operator rattled a number at him, which Alex wrote down before hanging up. He looked at it for a moment, frowning, then put it away. He could deal with that later... somehow, he doubted that they'd have gone to such efforts to hide their presence and yet still have contact details in the hands of one of the city council workers. Absently, Alex wondered just how much of this was the residual effects of the hacker organisation as a whole, and how much was just that one young woman.

He was running out of leads fast. Thinking for a moment, he started to wander through the city, noting just how different it looked and how much busier it was during the daytime. As he walked, he kept an eye on the passers by in the street, wondering if some luck would lead him to spot his target...

A sudden destination popped into his head, and hastily Alex bought a street directory of the city from a newsagent. In moments, he had his destination, and quickly hired a taxi to take him there.

Minutes later, he stepped out of the taxi only a few doors down from the Osenia Network building. Smiling absently, he stepped inside and went straight for the receptionist.

"Good morning sir, and welcome to the Osenia Network. How may I help you?" The receptionist's attitude was far too perky and her hair far too blonde for either to be natural, which was exactly what Alex expected from the front desk of a television station.

"I wish to speak to your head of security regarding a private matter, if I may."

The receptionist didn't even bat an eyelid at the request. Then again, was it physically possible for her to do so under all that make-up? Regardless, she reached for a phone and spoke into it hurriedly. "Security? Yes, there's a man who wants to see Mister Logo..." There was a pause while somebody on the other end spoke. "He says it's a private matter..." Another pause, then she looked at him. "The security supervisor is occupied at the moment, can you leave a message?"

Alex shook his head and removed what looked like a wallet. He opened it up and showed it to her, revealing it to be identification. Inside was a badge that labelled him as a Lemurian Agent under the employ of King Hydros. In reality, it was something he'd stolen and personalised before he'd left Lemuria for the Tundaria expedition, just in case he ever needed it.

"My name is Piers," he said without any hesitation. Best to pin any blame his actions got on an enemy. "As you can see, I'm an Agent for King Hydros of Lemuria. My investigations insist that I see your head of security as soon as is possible."

The receptionist was wide-eyed at this point as she repeated his words into the phone. Then she gave a hasty nod and hung up. "Terribly sorry, sir. Mr. Logo will just be a moment."

"Thank you." Alex was pleased that the ruse had worked, though he doubted the ID would work for too long if he continued to flash it about. Sooner or later somebody would ask questions, and then they'd be on the lookout for it. Best not to abuse it.

Right now, his only lead to the hacker woman was her little stunt on the television. So, his ultimate solution was to find out just how she'd done it, and see what leads the security had dug up.

A couple of minutes passed before a man approached the desk and nodded to him. "Piers, I presume? I'm Logo. You wanted to see me?"

Alex was momentarily stunned by the fact that Logo was a Lemurian, but quickly composed himself. Seeing Lemurians outside of the empire was not altogether rare, but it was still unexpected. It wasn't as though Alex was completely unknown by their citizens, so what if Logo knew of him? Or the real Piers? He suddenly found himself hoping that his ID would suffice.

"Yes, I did. May we discuss the matter in private?"

Logo nodded and gestured for Alex to follow him, heading down a couple of hallways before leading him to a room labelled Security. Inside was a large wall of security monitors, which was being watched attentively by a few uniformed security guards. Logo lead him further in, to a small office at the back of the main room. The office was sparsely furnished, with the majority of it taken up by a large desk covered by a small but neat mountain of paperwork and three computer screens. Logo sat at the desk and gestured for Alex to take the seat nearby.

"First things first Piers. May I see your ID, please? Protocol, you understand."

"Of course." Alex handed over the badge and accompanying paperwork, leaning back in his chair and looking unconcerned. In reality, he was very concerned... but then, even if Logo could somehow blow his cover, he very much doubted that the security guard would be a match for his Psynergy if push came to shove. It would simply be an inconvenience.

Logo inspected the card for a few moments before nodding and handing it back. "Alright. Obviously Alhafra is not part of the Lemurian Empire, so understand that I'm not bound to tell you everything you want to know. But..." he smirked at this. "I'm not about to deny a fellow countryman this far from home. So. What brings you here today?"

"As you probably guessed, I'm here to investigate the matter of your recent... broadcast."

The guard made a grimace. "I guessed. Is Lemuria conducting an investigation?"

"Although I'm not at liberty to say anything official – protocol, you understand – it's obviously very important to our interests that we determine the truth of these matters. The last thing anybody wants is another Proxian War. That said, whether it's truth or fiction, the insurgent responsible for the broadcast could be an issue to keeping the peace in the world if she continues to spread such propaganda. I want to find her and question her."

Logo nodded. "Well, I can tell you one thing... she's not alone."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Because she's not the one who came in and played the broadcast. She's merely a messenger. Here, see for yourself." Logo turned to the computer screens and focused on the middle one, bringing up security camera footage and moving through it until he came to a specific moment.

Alex leaned in to see, frowning as he did so. The security camera showed the back of a young man walking up to a large metal door labelled _Authorised Access Only_, swiping a keycard in it three times before stepping inside and closing the door.

"This was taken from just outside the mainframe, seconds before the broadcast began." Logo focused on a still image of the young man entering the room before bringing up another security feed on a second screen. This one was positioned right outside the main doors, and it showed the same young man remove a pair of sunglasses and walk into the building. "And this was taken minutes earlier when he entered."

Something about the image seemed to ring a bell with Alex... and then it hit him. The raid on Imil Base had been conducted by three people... one had been captured and later lost, but the other two had escaped and were never accounted for. He'd been absolutely sure to commit their faces to memory, knowing that they were undoubtedly bigger threats than most of the world's police. The first was the girl on the broadcast, and the other one... _him_.

It made sense now. The mysterious hacker woman hadn't been working alone... she was still working with her colleagues. And even if the entirety of the organisation had gone into hiding or been completely destroyed and one of their number accosted by Proxians, that pair was still working together even now, fighting against Project Psynergy. For all Alex knew, the blonde teenager who had escaped had already rejoined them. Who knew how many of them were out there?

He realised for a moment that Logo was studying him, and he quickly made sure he was still composed. "He was alone?"

"Yes. He simply walked in through the front door, entered the mainframe room, and then didn't come out. The broadcast began to start, so we quickly attempted to break in and stop it. Here..."

Logo switched on the third screen and brought up another feed, this one showing the Lemurian and a couple of other employees rushing for the door. Their keycards seemed to fail and wouldn't let them in, however.

"And that's... where things got strange."

As Alex watched, the door on the screen seemed to warp and then grow outwards. Where there had been a metal door before was now a single solid mass of metal. All the guards seemed to pause and stare at it for a moment before rushing back into renewed activity, trying to find another way in. Logo stopped the feed at this point.

"Don't you have a camera inside the room? Couldn't you see him?" Alex leaned back in his chair, chewing his lip. Anybody who wasn't involved in Project Psynergy would have found that footage completely inexplicable... but he had theories.

"That was the first thing we looked at," he said with a shake of his head. "He'd changed the footage of the room to replay itself over and over so we weren't able to see his methods. We're not sure why he didn't repeat the procedure on the rest of the cameras... maybe an oversight? He looks like he's still a kid anyway, so it wouldn't surprise me if he made a mistake somewhere along the line."

"Hmm. So how did you get inside?"

"The door was completely immovable, so we had to cut through the walls with energy blades. It took us about ten minutes to break inside. We expected him to be sealed in there, but when we got there he was well and truly gone. But the _how_ of it baffled us even more."

Logo changed the camera footage once more, this time showing what Alex assumed to be the inside of the mainframe room. The security team that had been outside minutes ago had stepped in through a new hole in the wall, and were now inspecting another one. The exterior wall leading to outside had been punctured open from the inside, but the removed section was larger than the one that had been broken open seconds earlier.

"That's where we're stumped, and part of why we're keeping details about it quiet." Logo pointed to the hole in the wall. "He had to have gone through there, but those walls are heavily reinforced, three times thicker than the inner walls. We had four blades working on the inner wall, and it took us ten minutes. He had just him, and he went through three times the concrete in less time alone. It makes no sense. We guessed explosives, but look..." Logo gestured to the image, and Alex could see with closer inspection that aside from the hole in the wall, the entire room seemed completely undamaged.

"The metal had fused to the floor and triple thickness walls had been blasted open with absolutely no collateral damage in the room? How is that even possible?" Alex frowned, and hoped that he was keeping his act as believable as possible. He knew how it was possible, after all... the specifics eluded him, but the methods were easy enough to understand. But he wasn't supposed to know that.

"That's what I was hoping you could tell me about." Logo shrugged. "The only possibilities we could come up with included welding the door shut with a high powered energy blade, but there were no marks on the door at all that suggested it had been tampered with. It's just like it... grew. As for the walls, they're incredibly solid to protect against intrusion or damage from anything less than a detonation or a lot of work. An explosion big enough to blast through there would have taken out the server and anyone inside with it, but... nothing. We're not sure how it was done."

Alex pursed his lips, looking at the security footage. Saturos and Karst had reported encountering a man who wielded Venus Psynergy. Now, days later, this man who was hot on the heels of Project Psynergy had destroyed a reinforced wall and solidified a metal slab through inexplicable means... that certainly seemed like it was Psynergy.

But how? He couldn't understand it. There were a few rogue Adepts from the Project, yes, but to this day Alex had still been unable to secure a proper source of the Venus strain aside from Felix's. It wasn't as though doses of the Psynergy could simply be lost as had been the case with Piers... none of it existed to lose. Where this man's powers had come from was a complete mystery.

Regardless, at least it seemed to suggest that the mysterious Venus Adept and the other Imil Base infiltrator was one and the same. That narrowed down the list of people to kill ever so slightly. Now he just had to look out for two faces in Alhafra.

"Well, Piers, that's about all I can tell you about the incident." Logo folded his arms and sighed. "I just don't know what to make of it."

"Neither do I. Still, it's good to know that she's not alone... more people means more chances of apprehending one of them and getting leads to others." Alex gave a faint smile. "One last thing you could do for me is print a copy of that image of the insurgent so I can send it back to Lemuria. We'll get copies out and see if we can track him down."

"Of course, just one moment..."

The image was provided in mere moments, so Logo lead Alex back to the door and wished him the best of luck in continuing the search.

Well, that had been productive. But the question still begged an answer, and Alex was simply unable to provide it. Where had this rogue gotten Venus Psynergy? Frowning to himself, he inspected the picture of the man for a moment. There wasn't anything overly distinctive about him, but Alex was reasonably certain that he'd be able to pick him if they bumped into each other.

For now, though, he was back to running without many leads. Sighing to himself, he pocketed the image and started walking. Perhaps inspiration would come to him.

...

"Hmm." The doctor gingerly prodded Saturos' arm, and it was all the Proxian could do not to flinch as he came into contact with the fracture. "When did you say this happened again?"

"Just a few days ago." He had to force himself not to roll his eyes at this, having had to answer this question at least three times now.

Saturos was often considered to have nearly legendary patience, but ever since his augmentation, he'd found that patience to be a lot less impressive. Apparently, many Proxians were seeing some signs of being easier to frustrate and anger since Alex had started his work, which had lead many to claim it as an unforeseen side effect. This was especially evident when dealing with this doctor, and it was all he could do to just restrain himself from sending him out with a black eye. He was in more pain now from this simple inspection than he'd been in days of dealing with the injury by himself.

And that had included sharing a hotel room with his best friend and long-time partner, both of which had missed the other greatly... his agitation faded considerably at that memory, and he tried to paint Menardi's face in his mind to keep himself stable.

"Excuse me for continually asking that, then, but I do find it hard to believe." The doctor sat back and began rummaging through a bag. "It's just... odd. A clean break like that should take some considerable time to heal, but it already seems to be patching itself back together a lot faster than normal."

Saturos blinked. "Really? Why is that?"

"I'm not sure." He shrugged. "Perhaps it's just not as clean a break as I thought, or perhaps it's simply a sign of your otherwise impeccable health, but regardless it seems to be healing rapidly. Either way, I can't do a full diagnosis of the break with a simple house call, so unless you're willing to come back to the clinic-"

"No thank you."

"-which you're not, then I can't take an X-ray and get a full picture. I'll just have to do my best with what information I have."

The doctor began to put a splint on his arm and bandage it tightly, and Saturos shut out the sharp and uncomfortable sensations by keeping that picture of Menardi firmly in his mind. Even as he did so, however, the doctor's words came back into focus.

There was absolutely no doubt in Saturos' mind that it had been a serious fracture. He'd been trained in the art of hurting people, so he had a reasonable idea about the types of broken arms that were on offer, and he knew that it had been serious. Rapid healing... how strange. He'd been injured in training before but had never healed any faster than any other person. But then, this was the first serious injury he'd taken since a colony of bizarre bacteria had been introduced to his system.

He paused at that. What a distasteful and disturbing way of putting it.

Still, the point remained. Saturos had just been musing on the potential side effects of the augmentation... perhaps this was a benign one? He'd have to ask Alex about that.

There was a knock at the door. Saturos wondered if it was Menardi, but knew that she had left earlier to meet with her contact from Tolbi. It was doubtful that she'd be back so fast. "Come in."

The door opened slightly, and Felix stuck his head in the door. His pupil looked bright and eager this morning, and seemed to have a certain good mood about him that was most unusual. Not that Felix was typically dour... it was just more usual to see him calm, composed, and thoughtful.

And it didn't take a genius to figure out just _why_.

"Good morning Saturos. Just thought I'd come in and check on you."

The Proxian glanced at the doctor, who gave a simple nod and started packing his bag.

"I'm doing alright now that nobody is trying to push my arm back into place. You?"

"Not so bad. I take it Menardi has already left?"

Saturos nodded, waiting for the doctor to slip out past Felix before he continued.

"She left shortly before the doctor arrived to go and meet up with her Tolbi contact." He took the moment to inspect the man's handiwork. It looked like it would hold. He'd requested specifically to not have a solid cast, despite any protests, which meant he'd have to be a little more gentle with it... but if his suspicions about Psynergy were correct, it would probably still heal swiftly. "So that just leaves me confined to the hotel. Alone. Apart from her again."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Please. You'd think you'd be used to being apart for a while."

"You'd think so. But I'm on painkillers, so I have an excuse to act irrational." Saturos leaned back in his chair and folded his arms... carefully. He pouted somewhat to complete the image, despite how silly he knew it made him look. "So there."

"Excuse me while I break out the world's smallest violin." Felix smirked. "Well. Since you're not acting at all like yourself, I thought I'd go and look around and see what I could do to bring you back to normal. And I found out that this hotel is actually quite well equipped with entertainment facilities."

The Proxian raised an eyebrow. "Do they have a pinball machine?"

"Yes. But this is better." Felix gestured for Saturos to follow and headed for the door. Curious, Saturos stood and followed.

The younger man lead him to the elevators, and in short order they were heading to one of the upper floors. Knowing that Felix was likely to keep quiet about their destination until their arrival, he decided to break the silence with other conversation.

"I'd have expected you to be with Karst, you know."

Felix shrugged. "She went out a little while ago to go exploring the city. She offered to have me come along, but I thought I'd better stick around to keep an eye on you. You know, just in case you started destroying places for entertainment again."

"You're an obnoxious brat, you know that?"

"You trained me."

"And sometimes I wonder to what end." Saturos hid his smirk by giving an absurdly large sigh. "Did you treat her to that dinner like you promised back on the boat?"

"Huh, I didn't think you'd heard about that." He blinked. "Well, yes, I took her out to dinner last night. Just some restaurant close by, nothing too fancy since I doubt she would have enjoyed something too overly luxurious anyway. It was good. We spent most of the time talking, and then came back to the hotel room."

"I see." The Proxian nodded thoughtfully. "I thought I heard some suspicious sounds from across the hall during the night..."

"You did no such thing. Nothing happened anyway." Felix sounded a touch defensive. "There's two beds in that room and both got used... though admittedly we didn't stop talking until quite late."

"Amongst other things, I'm sure."

Felix rolled his eyes, looking faintly annoyed. In Saturos' current mood, this was a victory to him. Felix was usually quite a calm and serious character, so riling him up like this was pleasing him to no end.

"Come on, Saturos. You know me. I don't feel the need to rush things so needlessly like that. We just hung out, like friends. A little more than friends, sure, but nothing so serious."

"Are you quite sure?"

"We were kissing for a while if you must know. Certainly a lot tamer than what you and Menardi were up to."

Felix was glaring at him with a satisfied smirk now, forcing Saturos to hesitate. "Touche."

Perhaps mercifully, the elevator reached their destination and Felix continued leading the way while Saturos followed, composing himself so as not to look so defeated. This level of the hotel didn't seem to have any guest rooms at all, but looked to be more of an entertainment level. Felix moved into a room marked as the Gymnasium, and Saturos raised an eyebrow at that. Was he planning on working out?

Felix seemed to ignore all the equipment within, however, and moved straight for another door on the far wall. This one was labelled as Court. He opened the door and gestured for his teacher to step inside, which Saturos did.

The label was appropriate. The room was a private squash court – nothing but four walls, with the far wall designed to bounce a ball against and the floor stable but not so solid that it would break bones if you fell on it. And by the looks of it, the door could be locked, leaving those within complete privacy.

"I know what you're like," Felix said as he closed the door behind him. "I know that injury or no injury, Menardi or no Menardi, you'll start to get bored if we have to stay here for too long and you have to keep undercover. So I figured I'd bring you here, which gives you access to the truest source of Proxian stress relief."

Saturos raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Giving you the opportunity to beat the life out of me." At that, Felix reached into his pocket and retrieved a pair of energy blades, the weakened pair they usually used for their training sessions. "And who knows? With you lacking your good arm, I might just have a chance for once."

The Proxian laughed at this and took his weapon, twirling it in his left hand for a moment before thumbing the switch and activating the blade. Even in his off hand, it still felt incredibly satisfying. "Do you have to book to use this place?"

"Yep, but I've already got it reserved for the next hour."

"Perfect." Saturos flashed him a wicked grin. "Let's get back into practice."

...

Garet had doubted the wisdom of flying directly into Alhafra at a time like this. Certainly, it didn't seem likely that Proxians would be watching the airport and keeping tabs on absolutely everyone that went in or out just in case people came to investigate... but you couldn't be too sure, right?

"You're getting paranoid," Feizhi had said to him with a laugh back in Daila when he'd voiced his concerns. "We'll be careful. Nothing's going to happen. And they can't watch _everyone_."

He'd fallen silent after that, and the worry had diminished somewhat. But still, he was that little bit concerned. Now, though, he was more concerned with what Feizhi had said. Garet had suspected that the incident in Madra really was making him paranoid, but actually being told like that had made him open his eyes to the fact.

He needed to relax.

The flight landed shortly after midday, so Hama had lead her two charges from the airport to the nearest cafe for lunch. While she was in the queue, Feizhi had accosted Garet and dragged him off to pick a table outside.

"Bright, sunny, and far too cold for this time of year Alhafra," Feizhi noted as they sat down in as warm a place as they could find.

"No kidding. It's not a bad place, though." Garet shrugged. "Have you been here before?"

"Briefly. Only really stayed here overnight to break up transit from one place to another." Feizhi tapped her chin as she considered. "I seem to recall the harbour smelling of fish. And smog."

"Most harbours are a bit like that." Garet grinned. "Oh well." He looked around for a moment as if to make sure they weren't being observed, then leaned in slightly towards her. "So what do you think Hama has in mind? Are we supposed to just wander around the streets and hope we simply bump into the girl?"

"I don't know. If she has any ideas, she's just keeping them to herself." Feizhi smiled. "I personally think we should just stakeout the airport and watch every single person come in and out until we see her. There's no way we could possibly miss anyone that way."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "You're not going to let me live that up, are you?"

"Do I ever let you live anything up?"

"Not so far." Garet rubbed his eyes. "I'm still wondering why I don't just go home. And, you know, hide under my bed until I'm 30 or something and this has all blown over and Prox is just a memory."

"You'd miss me too much." She grinned. "In all seriousness, though, I don't really know what we can do about this. It's a big city, and odds are that if your friend Jenna has any sense, she'd get the hell out of the city as soon as she could following the broadcast. Hell, if I were her, I'd leave _before_ it hit the airwaves if at all possible."

"Don't say her name out too loudly," he said quietly.

Feizhi gave him an annoyed look, but did as she was told nonetheless. "Fine, fine. So, this girl who must not be named... is she one of those friends you lost when Vale was destroyed?"

Garet paused, sighing slightly. "I didn't think you'd remember about that. Yes, she was one of them. There was always a little group of three of us growing up... her, me, and another guy my age called Isaac. We were also on pretty good terms with her older brother Felix, but he tended to be fairly quiet and aloof so I wasn't quite as close with him. He kinda got on better with my older sister, actually... I think she had a crush on him at some point." He laughed. "It was a good little childhood."

"Mmm, it sounds it." She chewed her lip, looking at the table as if considering what to say. "What do you think will happen if we find her?"

"I don't know. She might not even remember me."

"If you were as close as you say you guys were, I think she'd remember."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't know what will happen. Probably some kind of brief and tearful reunion before we both come back to our senses and she beats me up for some reason. That's usually what happened when we were kids."

Feizhi burst out laughing. "I knew you were a pushover around girls."

"I am not!"

"Settle down, children." Hama sat down at the table, eyeing them both for a split second with a faint smile on her face. "I suppose it's good that you're having fun, but do try to restrain yourselves in public. We're here on business after all."

"Sorry, ma'am." Garet took a moment to compose himself while Feizhi was doing her best to look suitably abashed. "So. We were just wondering if you had a plan of attack."

Now it was Hama's turn to look abashed. "Actually, I don't."

Both of the teenagers blinked.

"You mean you're actually a mere mortal? News to me." Feizhi stared in mock surprise.

"Oh, bite your tongue, or I'll send Garet back home." Hama smirked. "You were more obedient before he joined us."

"Sorry. I'll be good." Once again, she went back to looking suitably abashed. And once more, Garet felt a faint chill in his chest... that quiet wondering about just why Feizhi seemed to act like that around him. At least it seemed that Hama shared his suspicions.

"Really, though, I'm afraid I don't have a plan at all." She glanced at Garet. "I had actually intended to head to Imil before you opened your mouth, and I had ideas and contacts in that place that might have been able to help us shed some light on the matter at hand. But your information changed things. It would be more valuable for us to have live assistance, someone who knows a little about what's going on. Since having you would probably make her more receptive to our cooperation, I decided that that was the best course of action."

"But you didn't know what kind of plans or actions to take besides "show up, save girl, win war"?" Feizhi asked.

"You could put it that way."

"So what do we do, then?" Garet asked.

"I know a couple of people in the city. Contacts, friends. I don't know how much they'd be able to tell us about the girl, but they can probably tell us a few little bits and pieces regarding Proxian activity and such. It's not much, I know, but it's a start."

"Anything is better than nothing, I guess."

Garet looked over to gauge Feizhi's thoughts on the matter, but she didn't seem to be paying attention any longer. Instead, she was frowning slightly and rubbing her forehead.

And he'd seen her do that only once before...

Instinctively, Garet leapt forward across the table just in time to catch Feizhi as she slumped forward, groaning as she did so. Still holding her shoulders, he stood up and moved around to her side of the table, holding her head up and looking into her eyes. They seemed slightly unfocused, and she was blinking rapidly. Her breaths sounded uneven.

"Feizhi! Hey, come on Feizhi, stay with me. Don't pass out again." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hama moving, but he paid no attention to her. "Talk to me. What's the matter?"

"Garet..." Her voice was slightly slurred, but instead of passing out as she had done in Daila, she blinked once more and seemed to become more awake. Her breathing became steady again.

"That's right, I'm right here. What's the matter?"

She turned slightly to stare right at him, and gave a faint smile. "You have pretty eyes."

Garet felt his face redden, but also started to feel faintly annoyed. "Damnit Feizhi, don't joke with me. I thought you were having another seizure. What happened?"

Her smile faded, and she looked away. "I-I'm sorry. But I just... I think I'm seeing things."

Hama was standing beside Feizhi now, lifting her protege's headband slightly to check her temperature. "What kind of things? Are you hallucinating?" Her voice was steady and measured, but Garet got the impression that she knew what was going on.

"Sort of, but... it didn't seem quite like that." She looked down. "The same thing happened in Daila, too. I don't know why I passed out then and not now, but... I was seeing things. Kind of like..."

"A vision?" Hama offered.

"...yes. In Daila I had a vision of a huge storm. The pictures were really clear, almost as if I was really there. When I woke up, I didn't really think anything of it. That is... until I saw the storm on TV." She chewed her lip. "I didn't say anything at the time because I... I was worried. I didn't know what to think about it."

"I thought you looked kind of pale then," Garet said quietly.

"Tsk. You should've mentioned these things to me, Feizhi." Hama sat back in her chair. Garet took it as a cue to do the same. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah. Whatever happened, it's passed."

"What did you see this time?"

Feizhi was quiet for a moment. "I saw a fight. This one wasn't nearly as clear as the storm – it was really foggy and I couldn't make out specifics. But it was here, in Alhafra. It was night time and it was at the harbour, and there was some kind of fight. I couldn't make up the details, but I think..." She paused, glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention before whispering. "I think Psynergy was involved."

Garet leaned back in his chair, considering this. Psynergy involved in a battle at the harbour? Could that mean that the Proxians had found Jenna? Or was it something else entirely, something more sinister?

He glanced at Hama, and her expression seemed to suggest that she was considering this possibility as well. "Well, Feizhi... you predicted the storm perfectly enough. I think it would be unwise to ignore this warning as a result. I think we have a plan of action."

"Visit the harbour tonight and keep an eye on things?"

"Yes. And every other night until we see something like this. We can get a hotel in that part of the city and try and set up a watch." Hama folded her arms and smiled. "That's good news, then. I wonder what's taking our lunch so long to arrive..."

"Hama... don't change the subject." Feizhi's voice was quiet and uncertain. "A vision is all well and good, but I'm the one having them, not you. Why? What's causing this?"

"Come now, Feizhi, you're a smart girl. Surely you can figure it out?"

Garet knew instantly what it was. Visions of the future sounded like they belonged firmly in the realms of fantasy, and as such it seemed to fit the bill of Psynergy instantly. And both times that she'd had visions, Feizhi had rubbed her forehead beforehand...

"That cut on your head," he said as he stared straight at Feizhi. "You got it from one of the cannisters that was holding..."

Realisation dawned on both their faces.

"Garet's right. You were exposed to the bacteria... that probably means you're being affected by it. Welcome to the realm of the Jupiter Adepts, Feizhi." Hama smiled at her pupil. "Now we're more alike than either of us ever probably wanted to be."

"Are you sure it's all just sunshine and rainbows like that?" Garet asked, glancing at Feizhi again. "I mean, Feizhi's reacting quiet badly to these visions... will she be alright?"

"I can't say for certain. But the bacteria is a very symbiotic substance. It won't survive if the human dies, so it's not about to kill her. Any problems she's having now is likely her body adapting to the change... it's hard for me to say, since it wasn't a natural occurrence. But I find it extremely unlikely that you'll end up worse off for it."

"Easy for you to say," Feizhi muttered. "If I die, it's all on your conscience."

Garet reached over and gave her arm a friendly pat. "Relax, you're starting to sound paranoid."

"Garet, I'm going to break your arm, I swear..." Despite her words, she gave him a faint smile. "But you're probably right."

"Of course. If it turns out badly, I'll make sure everything is done to ensure you make it through. Promise."

"Thanks." Her smile broadened, and Garet returned it... though yet again he found himself wondering about her. If his suspicions were at all correct, his words were probably just digging the hole deeper.

...

It was somewhat tough saying goodbye to this place, Jenna reflected. It had been bad enough bidding farewell to Isaac's little nest, but this small apartment was the only real home she'd known in her amnesiac state. Still, in the end it was just an apartment, and it was an apartment in the middle of an increasingly dangerous city for her to be in. Best that she left it on good terms instead of being murdered in it.

She moved to the window and tied a rope around the bag strap before lowering it down to Isaac, who was waiting in the alley below. The bag contained much of the important worldly possessions she had, including a few salvaged computer parts that might come in handy somewhere down the line. It was the last thing they needed before they were due to leave Alhafra.

Isaac untied the bag and gave her a thumbs up, so Jenna tossed the rope down before climbing out the window and then making her way down the wall. The bricks were rough and uneven, enough to allow makeshift hand and footholds... a fact that Jenna had made use of more than once when her landlord was angry or people had been chasing after her.

"Mind your step," Isaac called up.

"Relax, I've done this hundreds of times." Jenna scurried down the wall easily, wondering absently if she'd done a lot of climbing as a child before jumping the last few feet and dusting herself off.

Isaac glanced at the wall and shook his head. "You make it look easy."

"That's because it is. I'm sure there's more up there we could salvage if you wanted to see that for yourself."

"I'll pass, not unless I'm allowed to make bigger handholds." He waggled his fingers and smirked. "Magic powers and such."

"Cheater." Jenna grinned and picked up their newly retrieved bag, as well as the other she'd left with Isaac. They each now held two bags, crammed to the brim with everything they could comfortably carry that they might need. They were committed to leaving now, and anything that they couldn't move around easily was now non-essential.

"I guess that's everything, then." Isaac gathered up his own bags. "Let's get out of here. If we're fast, we should be able to hit the ocean before it gets too dark."

Jenna nodded and followed after him as he started walking rapidly towards the end of the alley. She still didn't entirely recognise her partner in crime from behind... they'd both dyed their hair jet black to dissuade identification at a glance, to the point where she was afraid to lose him in a crowd. Still, that was all the more reason to stick close to him...

Keeping to side streets and alleys as best as possible while still walking casually, the two wound their way through Alhafra. Jenna hadn't lived too close to the harbour, so it was a reasonable distance to walk, but they couldn't really rely on public transport. Either way, it wouldn't take too long.

...so why was she starting to feel tired all of a sudden?

Jenna stopped, and as soon as she did, a wave of dizziness seemed to catch up with her. Shaking her head didn't seem to fix anything, so she leaned against a nearby wall to try and steady herself. A few seconds passed... but nothing happened. The dizziness persisted.

Isaac quickly realised she wasn't following him and moved back to her, frowning. "What's the matter Jenna?"

"I don't know... I just got dizzy all of a sudden." Slowly, she lowered herself into a sitting position, shaking her head once more and frowning at the continuing dizziness. "No idea what's causing it."

"Are you okay?" Isaac leaned down beside her and looked into her face. "Your eyes are bloodshot and you're looking a little pale. Do you feel like you're coming down with something?"

"No, I..."

"_Hey, you!" _said a high-pitched voice from somewhere nearby.

Jenna looked up, trying to pick the source, but this late in the afternoon, there was nobody else around in the alley.

"What?" Isaac asked.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"_I know you can hear me, lady. This is important!"_

"There it is again... a voice." Jenna blinked, then groaned as the dizziness was compounded by a sudden wave of nausea. She put a hand to her stomach and closed her eyes. "It's really high-pitched... how can you not hear it?"

"There's nobody here but us," Isaac insisted. "You don't look very well. Maybe we should get you to a doctor..."

"_Lady, listen to me. We're your Psynergy. We're speaking to you. The sooner you can come to terms with this and open up to us, the sooner the sickness will pass."_

Jenna blinked in shock and tried to process the words. Her Psynergy? She didn't have Psynergy... did she? If so, how did that happen? More to the point... how and why was it talking to her? Isaac had Psynergy, yet he'd never said anything about his powers trying to _talk_ to him. Then again, his powers seemed to materialise out of nothing as well, so maybe something similar had happened to her... and now they were talking to her! It didn't make any sense at all.

Still... she was really starting to feel ill, and she knew that lingering here wasn't a good thing. They needed to get out of Alhafra, so any solution to this problem was necessary for haste.

"Alright, I'll bite..." Jenna paused, then looked at Isaac and shook her head. "I mean, not about the doctor. I'm talking to it. The voice."

Isaac's worry intensified. "So you're talking to yourself now?"

"Please just trust me on this?" she asked with some exasperation, before looking away from him and trying to fix her gaze straight ahead. "Okay, so... if I listen to you and come to terms with this, I'll feel better? That... somehow I have Psynergy which is trying to talk to me?"

"_Yes. Like your friend there, you've had this ability for a long time. We've just been dormant until necessity demanded otherwise." _There was a pause. _"Would it be convenient if we revealed ourself to your friend?"_

"It would be, yes." She was already starting to feel better, somehow... the nausea was passing and the dizziness became easier to deal with. Isaac was still looking at her with some concern, but seemed willing at least to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"_Then you must will us forth. Try to imagine a well of power within yourself, like a burning flame... then draw from that flame and expel it before you."_

Nodding, Jenna closed her eyes and tried to imagine that. Before she'd even begun to visualise the flames, however, a faint calling seemed to rise within her, and something answered almost immediately without any input from her. Opening her eyes, she held her hands out before her...

In an instant, her palms seemed to erupt into flames. She instinctively flinched, but the flames didn't burn her... if anything, it was warm and soothing. She glanced at Isaac, who was staring uncertainly at the flames himself. His worry had been replaced by curiosity, yet he seemed to have slipped back into his usual calm self.

"Psynergy..." he murmured. "I wasn't sure what you were saying before, but this changes things. How is this possible?"

"Easy," answered the high-pitched voice from within the flames, making Isaac blink in surprise. "Your friend here comes from a long line of Adepts... as do you, it seems."

"You can hear that?" Jenna asked. She knew the answer already, though... the voice was unchanged, but it no longer seemed to originate from within her mind.

"Yeah... the flames are talking." Isaac rubbed his forehead for a moment, trying to come to terms with everything. "I'm really starting to feel out of my league..."

As if to answer, the flames started to move and shift, and gradually they seemed to take shape. The flames darkened and solidified, and in moments Jenna was no longer holding fire... she was holding a small red creature that studied the pair of them with large, unblinking blue eyes.

"Is this easier for you both to comprehend?" the creature asked. Jenna noticed that it had no mouth, but she didn't bother questioning how it spoke.

"Well... about as easy as it'll get, I guess." Isaac glanced at her, and she gave an uncertain shrug to answer.

"We are Jenna's Psynergy. We've lived within her for a very long time, but we have never really been called upon or triggered. Only recently has there even been cause to wake up, when there was dire need. We protected you." The creature looked straight at Jenna. "These are strange and dangerous times... far more than even the last time we awoke."

"Wait, hold on." Jenna met the creature's gaze. "Slow down. I didn't even know I had Psynergy... we knew Isaac did, but this is all new to me." Something clicked in her mind at that moment, and she chewed her lip in thought. "That dire need... that was only a few days ago, right? You shielded us when the roof collapsed on us."

"We did, yes."

"Huh. So I guess I owe you my life too." Isaac winked at her.

"Pfft, I didn't do anything, but we can call it even if you want." She winked back, but turned her attention back to the Psynergy creature. "Again, though, we knew Isaac had Psynergy. But he's never... conjured, something quite like you. What are you?"

"Your Psynergy," the creature answered again. "Please understand, it is hard for us to explain... we think in terms very much unlike human terms. But we live within you, working with you to strengthen you. We cannot survive in most conditions of the world without humans, so it benefits us to be with you just as you are benefited by the ability to shape the world as you see fit."

"So you're... a manifestation of the Psynergy bacteria?" Jenna guessed.

"As far as we can tell... yes, that is what we are." The creature gave a small nod. "All Psynergy is able to project a form like this for a time, but it isn't often that we find it necessary. In times long gone, humans referred to these forms as djinn. You may call us this if you wish."

"A djinni..." Isaac shook his head. It was plainly obvious by his expression that he had a million questions to ask the djinni, but he did his best to show restraint. "This is a lot to swallow. But then..."

Jenna spoke up for him. "Why do you speak to me now? And why does Isaac's Psynergy not speak to him?"

The djinni sounded almost amused. "Perhaps they are simply shy."

Isaac and Jenna exchanged glances, not sure whether to believe it or not.

"That is a joke," the creature added.

"Uh huh..." Well, at least her Psynergy had a sense of humor, Jenna mused.

"In truth, we do not know. Like humans, we have our own traits... personalities, if you will. We see it as prudent to reveal ourselves, given what our host body – you, Jenna – is going through at the moment. You live in troubled times and are involved in them to a great extent, yet remained unaware of our existence. We felt it best to remind you of our existence. Perhaps your djinni does not feel the same way."

"I guess that makes sense," Isaac said. "I didn't really need reminding as such, it all just came to me accidentally and then I picked it up from there. But then... could I call something like you? You know, manifest my Psynergy as Jenna's doing now?"

"Not quite like us. But yes, it is possible."

"Not like you..." Jenna nodded. "You're different from his, right? I mean, you're a creature of fire... so I can probably use fire powers."

"That is correct."

"That might go a long way to helping us understand the Proxians," Isaac noted, looking slightly excited. "This is a useful revelation. Think of what we could do with this, Jenna."

Jenna nodded, grinning. "We could set fire to Alhafra on the way out!"

He looked slightly taken aback, though less than seriously. "I was thinking more fight fire with fire... but I guess that works too."

She laughed, but stopped immediately and looked at the djinni. "Wait. You say I'm from a long line of Adepts? How do you know?"

"We've been within you for a long time," the djinni replied. "As far as we can tell, much of your human lifespan. That indicates a certain amount of receptivity to our presence, something that not all humans possess. Ergo, it's likely that your family – or perhaps place of birth – led to our presence in some way."

Her heart skipped a beat as she asked the next question, tentatively. "Then... do you know anything of me? My family? Where I came from?"

The djinni was silent for a moment, then shook its head. "We are afraid not."

She sighed. "Damn."

"Regardless, we have taken up enough of your time. Understand, then, that we are here to help you. We cannot live long in such an environment as this without your presence... and as such, we are willing to do whatever we can to ensure your existence continues."

"You put it so tactfully," Jenna remarked dryly. "But I appreciate it."

The djinni bowed its head briefly before erupting back into flames, as it had originated. In moments, the flames sputtered and died out, leaving only a thin trail of smoke rising from Jenna's palms.

She felt... different, though. Nothing had really changed, but the realisation of the Psynergy's presence was enough to make her sense it, somehow. Experimentally, she held her hand out once more, and focused. A second later, flames grew out of her palm once more, and she held them there for a moment before closing her hand and extinguishing them.

"Nifty," she said quietly. "I'll bet that'll come in handy."

"Psynergy is sentient..." Isaac shook his head. "Who'd have thought? Do you think the Proxians know?" He stood up and extended his hand to help her up, and she took it before shrugging.

"There's so little we know about the Proxians and their Project. They might know everything, or they might know nothing. Perhaps we're lucky and the djinn never revealed themselves to them."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't want to rely on luck like that too much. Either way, we'll have to try and pump the djinni for information sometime. Maybe they can help us." He sighed, then brightened. "On the upside, now I don't have to feel too much like a freak for having these crazy powers. Welcome to the club, Jenna."

She rolled her eyes, but gave him a smile. "At least I'm in good company. Either way, we shouldn't stick around much longer. We can figure out more of this Psynergy business once we're safely on our way."

"I agree. Do you feel alright now?"

"Yep. I guess it was just some kind of reaction to the djinni..." Jenna shrugged again. "I'll be fine. Let's get going."

"Right."

Isaac resumed walking and Jenna moved after him. As she did so, however, she couldn't help but experiment a little with the flames whenever they were out of sight of other people.

A smile found its way to her face and stayed there as they walked. Now she could really take the fight to the Proxians...

…

The day was wearing on in Alhafra, but Alex had yet to find any more leads. He'd been attempting to dig up the trail of the hacking group, but as he'd expected, contacting the city council regarding the ownership of the condemned building turned up nothing but a few dead ends. Whether or not they were still active as a group was hard to say, but one thing was for certain: they'd done their best to keep prying eyes out.

It was only about an hour before sunset now, and he was doing little except idly wandering the streets leading to the harbour. His reasoning was that after the infiltration of the Osenia Network, that was a clear signal that there were still insurgents in Alhafra, and they had to know it. Now that they were in the public eye – despite Alex's best efforts to minimise that exposure to anyone except those who would strike back – the hackers had to know they were cornered and would likely attempt to flee.

He'd been hoping to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the harbour as best as possible. He hadn't attempted to be too subtle about it, but he also didn't know who or what or how many to look for beyond the two identified targets, so it had mostly just been an idle way to spend time and relax. It didn't seem like there was much more he could do tonight.

Sighing faintly, Alex turned and headed back towards where he'd seen a taxi rank earlier. He was passing by an intersection, however, when somebody coming the other way bumped into him and very nearly knocked him aside.

"Hey, watch it." Alex glared at the offender, a young man with black hair. A young woman was standing a step behind him as well, rolling her eyes at the situation.

"Oh, sorry about that. Didn't see you coming." The young man looked somewhat abashed as he picked up the bag he'd dropped in the mess before walking in the direction Alex had come from.

Alex shook his head and was about to keep walking... but he stopped. And then turned around and looked at the hastily retreating figure. Could it be...?

It was. He'd coloured his hair, but the build and facial features had been practically identical. It was the hacker. And the young woman with him... she'd changed her hair as well, but they were both together and both looked so similar to his targets. It couldn't have been coincidence.

He turned and started walking after them, letting them put some distance between him but always keeping them in sight. Wherever they were going, he'd be able to stop them... and then dispose of them and everything they weren't supposed to know about.

...

**Author's Notes:** For those who thought I was done with cliffhangers, think again. Of course, this chapter is already incredibly long as it is, so stretching it out any further would probably be overextending. Nonetheless.

Credit to UltaFlame for beta reading this chapter and providing valuable insight, and a nod to the Temple of Kraden member Logo for allowing me to give him a cameo in the story when I really needed to fill a minor character role and didn't want to create something entirely original. Updates will hopefully be coming along in the next couple of months, but I have a couple of writing contests to win before I put my attention back into this story. Enjoy until the next time.


	25. Antagonism

**Author's Notes:** Every time I look back at it, I just realise how extensive this little writing project of mine has gotten. Life, both mine and that of others, has changed so much since the days when this was first published. When I started, The Lost Age was still a relatively fresh game. Who would have thought that we'd get a sequel years down the track, and that now it's been and gone and Project Psynergy remains? I certainly didn't, and I just had to take that moment to acknowledge it. It has its ups and downs, but I still very much love this story, even as I move on to other, greater writing projects.

So it is that I continue to write it, even when there are times that I really don't want to anymore. This chapter was something I damn near gave up on completely with, hence why it took so long, but now it's here and now it's done, just like the third Golden Sun game. Speaking of that game, I have a few things that I'll need to say about it and this story, but I'll save those for the closing comments. For now, excuse the months long delay as usual and enjoy your Project fix. This one goes out to everybody who ever wished Alex was a fightable boss...

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 20 – Antagonism**

"Huh," said the port official non-chalantly as he glanced away from Isaac. "That happened fairly suddenly..."

Isaac didn't respond, he just continued to flick through the small pile of paperwork he'd been handed, signing where appropriate. Apparently, buying a boat and preparing it for immediate departure was not as simple and straight-forward as it was cracked up to be.

"I thought it was supposed to be clear skies all evening, but I guess not. You might want to change your mind about going for a cruise right now, sir."

Signing the last paper, Isaac finally looked up to see what the man was looking at. His eyes trailed over to the nearby window before his gaze stopped dead in its tracks. When he'd entered the harbour master's office just a few minutes ago, the completely clear skies made the fading colours of sunset on the horizon to the west quite beautiful to behold. Jenna had stayed outside to go get the boat ready and watch it all.

That was mere minutes ago. Now... it was dark. There was still the fading light of day present, but much of the sky was now obscured by a thick fog that had risen up out of nowhere.

Frowning, Isaac turned over the papers to the man and silently walked to the door, opening it up. As soon as he did so, the mist seemed to roll in through the gap like a wave of gelatin, passing around him silently and into the room. It almost seemed like it would offer resistance if he tried to walk through it.

"Hey, can you close the door for a second?" the official asked, shuffling the papers.

"Oh, sure." Isaac did as asked, quickly shutting out the white wave and moving back to the counter.

"Thanks. Alright then... now normally that'd be everything and I'd just turn the boat over to you and walk away, but..." the official glanced out the window again and hesitated, still unable to see through the veil. "I'm not sure that's wise to let you go out right this second. Too many chances for an accident in a fog this thick and this unexpected."

"But..." Isaac frowned, hastily trying to think of an in-character response to this. "Look... my girlfriend and I have really been looking forward to getting this boat and I don't know if we'd really be happy unless we got to take it out for a spin now. It'll just be short... we both know what we're doing. Please?"

The port official stared at him, so Isaac stared right back, looking as hopeful as he possibly could. Finally, the man sighed and waved his hand. "I'll need you to sign a waiver then, just to say that it's all your own fault in the event of an emergency. And then you'd better make it quick."

"Thank you so much. I won't let you down."

Hastily scrawling the necessary signature down on the waiver, Isaac grinned enthusiastically before slipping out the door. In truth, the entire thing had been a ruse: the boat they were "buying" was, in fact, Ivan's boat. As for how it was being sold, that was one thing he and Jenna had worked on until the early hours of the morning... they'd attempted to dig up the details Ivan used to secure a permanent spot at the harbour, but his tracks had been tricky to follow.

So they'd improvised. Now there were falsified records of past ownership of the boat, the owners who had just bought it, and various bank account details belonging to each. They'd effectively just moved money from one account to another without actually paying a cent, but it was a worthwhile deception to make sure that nobody paid their disappearance any heed. Of course, they were supposed to just be going on a short trip, so there might be some attention if they just vanished... but they'd be long gone by that point.

Stepping into the mist made Isaac realise just how unnecessary the entire affair had been, however. He couldn't even see his feet through it, it was so thick... had they know it was going to be like this, they could have slipped out without anyone even knowing they had been there. Such is life, he supposed.

Now, where was the boat...

He paused, trying to recall the layout of the docks properly. Alhafra had a fairly complex harbour system and despite the number of times he'd had to pass through here recently, Isaac had never once visited the harbour master's office. Once he had a vague recollection of where to go, he set out deeper into the mists.

He'd only walked a few steps when the air was punctuated by indistinct shouts, as well as the sound of wood breaking. Then there were more shouts... a woman's shouts.

Was that Jenna's voice he could hear?

Panic overcame Isaac's calm and he started sprinting forward, heading towards the sound. His sprinting was short-lived, however, as out of the mist came an iron gate to keep people off the pier. He skidded to a halt mere inches from the gate, hissing in frustration. Reaching out to his Psynergy, he shattered the iron lock and shoved the gate aside, moving at a slightly less hasty speed now. The mist continued to pool around him, denying him vision and muffling sounds in the distance as he made his way through the network of docks.

"There's no way this can be natural," Isaac muttered as he strained to see or hear anything further. But no matter which way he looked, there were only the faintest light or dark patches to indicate that the world hadn't suddenly dissolved into fog.

All he could do was struggle onward and hope that whatever was going on, Jenna could handle it...

…

The sun was starting to disappear behind the distant horizon. Jenna stood on the deck of Ivan's boat, glancing around to make sure that everything was aboard and most of the ropes had been untied. As soon as Isaac returned, they'd be away... but until then, she was free to watch the sunset.

Despite how impressive the display was, however, the vibrant colours across the sky only served to remind her of one thing... fire. That inevitably drew the connection to Psynergy... her Psynergy. Her own mysterious powers.

How had she gotten them? The djinni had said that she'd had these abilities for much of her life, either through her family or her place of birth, but she couldn't remember either of those. Had she used her powers before the incident with the Elementalists, in times before her amnesia had set in? If that was the case, was Isaac's situation similar? Where had he come from or who had he been related to to have a different set of abilities?

Questions, questions, and more questions. Jenna sighed. Ever since Project Psynergy had shown up in her life, it seemed like she had nothing but questions about everything that had happened. When were they going to find some answers? All she could do was stick close to Isaac and hope that the two of them could piece it all together.

Frowning, Jenna returned her attention to the sunset... only to realise that it had vanished. All around the boat, a dense bank of fog seemed to be building, sweeping across the docks rapidly and engulfing her in a sea of clouds just a few moments later.

She blinked, looking around for a moment. She was mere feet from the edge of the boat, yet now she couldn't even see beyond it to the pier they were moored at. Strange... fog was known to appear rapidly around Alhafra during the colder months, but never so fast and thick as to engulf her entire field of vision in seconds.

Something didn't feel right about this...

"You. Woman." The voice pierced through the fog from a short distance away, presumably the nearby dock, making Jenna tense up. It was a smooth voice, unerringly calm and extremely decisive as if the speaker was used to giving orders and having them obeyed. "Your disguise is flimsy – I know who you are and I know what you've done. If you wish to live, you will come with me and do exactly as I say. Get off the boat, now."

Jenna hesitated, her heart racing. They'd done everything they could to cover their tracks and alter their appearances somewhat... how had they been found? Had the Proxians tracked them?

Whoever it was, she remained still, hoping that they might have made some kind of mistake. Slowly, she moved her hand down to her pistol. It might not have been as potentially powerful as Psynergy, but it was something she was much more familiar with.

"I will not warn you again. Stop moving for your gun and get off the boat." There was a brief pause. "And don't think I don't know about your friend, either. If you don't cooperate, I will be sure to make both of your lives hell... but he will be the one to suffer first, because of you."

Now her heart was practically ripping itself from her chest. Whoever this person was, she couldn't imagine it was an idle threat. But that raised yet another question... how had he seen her move for the gun through the fog? Jenna could barely see two feet in front of her, so how could he? Was he just guessing?

She didn't want to submit to him... so all she could do was call his bluff. Her hand wrapped around her pistol handle and drew it as quietly as she could, raising it to the fog ever so slowly. She still couldn't see or hear anyone.

"Bad idea."

Something burst from the fog just ahead of her, too fast for Jenna to react to before it struck her gun hand. She cried out and dropped the weapon, gripping her hand and reeling back from the sudden burst of searing pain. Her uninjured hand wrapped around something that should not have been there... staring down, Jenna could see that something had buried itself in the back of her hand, piercing all the way through and erupting from her palm. It looked like a translucent blade, but as her hand started to go numb, she quickly realised that it was ice.

The pain was incredible, but somehow the shock seemed to wash any kind of hurt to the back of her mind. Now, Jenna was completely focused on only one thing... survival.

She had to defeat her assailant before he killed her. And to do that when she was disarmed...

Jenna snarled and thrust her uninjured hand forward. Instinct took over as she willed her powers to come forth, and the Psynergy responsed instantly, her arm erupting into flames that seemed to drive the mist away a short distance.

"What the...?" Her attacker's voice still sounded surprisingly calm, but it was edged with surprise. Better yet – Jenna now had a vague idea of which direction the voice was coming from.

Gritting her teeth and focusing harder, Jenna unleashed the pent up flame energy in a wave of fire before her, the Psynergy punching a hole through the mist straight towards the speaker. For a brief moment, she could have sworn that the flames had taken on the shape of a dragon.

The hole in the mist revealed her attacker for a split second before the fire struck him – a young man with long blue hair and a faintly confused expression. Then that glance was gone as the flames rolled over him, engulfing him utterly.

Something about the sight made Jenna hesitate, and she ceased the stream of fire instantly, the energy returning to pool in her open palm. Lowering her arm, she peered through the gap in the mist towards the flames that had come to rest on the dock.

As she did so, a pair of arms swept out of the flames, extinguishing them as they passed through it. Sheets of water seeemd to eject outwards from the man... then Jenna realised that he'd wrapped them around himself, like a shield. His lips curled into a smirk, and finally the true gravity of the situation dawned on her.

_Psynergy. Not a Proxian... but using Psynergy. Water Psynergy._

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"That would be telling," he replied calmly, raising a hand. The water around him rose up into the air and separated into smaller globes, then the globes solidified and shifted into blades of ice... much like the one currently protruding from her hand.

_This is going to suck._

He swept his arm forward and the blades moved with him, flying through the air one after the other towards her. Without really knowing what she was doing, Jenna replied by thrusting her own hand forward. The flames answered her mental demands and formed into a wall before her, just in time to absorb all the ice blades.

At least... absorb part of them. The barrier was strong enough to melt the ice to globes of water, but it wasn't enough to dissolve it entirely, so the water pierced her shield regardless in quick succession. And after passing through the barrier, the water temperature had risen considerably.

Jenna hissed as the first globe struck her outstretched arm, then another thudded into her stomach before a third struck her shoulder. The water was boiling hot, enough to sear her flesh through her clothes, and in moments the pain became unbearable.

Another struck her in the forehead, hard enough to disrupt her concentration, and Jenna could feel her hold on the shield waver. Out of desperation, she flung herself at the deck of the ship as the flame barrier went up in smoke, sending the remaining blasts of ice racing through the air just above her.

The momentary lapse in action seemed to trigger Jenna's awareness of the pain, and she had to fight to resist the urge to just stop and curl up into a little ball. She couldn't give up... couldn't let this person beat her... if nothing else, Isaac would make his way to the boat soon, so she'd have support in a matter of moments...

She glanced in the direction of the pier, noting that the mist was closing around her and obscuring her vision once more. She could still see the outline of the boat's edge, however, which was the only thing providing cover between her and the attacker. She still had no idea who this guy was or what he wanted with her, either...

"I just want you to know that I take great pleasure in hurting you," said the man again, eternally calm. "But that is not what I'm here to do unless I have to. You can't beat me at this, so just give it up. Come quietly and I won't hurt you any further."

Jenna raced through her mind for options. As she did so, she glanced at her injured hand, looking at the shard of ice that had pierced right through it. After a moment's consideration, she left the shard embedded... of all her injuries, that one was numb, at least. Then she started pulling herself across the floor of the boat, trying to keep as low as possible as she moved towards the cabin.

If she couldn't fight, she'd have to flee. She knew where the harbour master was... maybe she'd be able to get the boat moving and grab Isaac on the way past...

There was a loud crack as a huge chunk of ice fell from the mist above her and struck the edge of the boat merely inches from her face, punching through the wood and shattering the barrier as if it was made of paper. Despite herself, Jenna cried out and pulled back from it, moving even faster to get behind new cover. There was blood in her eye, now... a shard of wood must have sliced her forehead open.

"Why must you make this so hard on yourself? You can't pos-"

The voice was cut off by a sudden boom, accompanied by a bright flash. Jenna hesitated, but the voice didn't say anything more, so she rushed forward into the confines of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind her and staying low just in case.

Inside the boat, the mist was a lot thinner. Blinking a few times before keeping her bloodied eye closed, Jenna carefully moved forward to the helm. Ivan's boat was primarily driven from the floor above her, but the engine could still be managed from here in the event of emergencies. This qualified as an emergency, in her mind.

She brought the engine to life, but quickly realised that the boat was still moored to the pier... it wouldn't be able to go anywhere until she went back outside and untied it. And right now, there was no way she was doing that.

Instead, Jenna laid on the floor of the cabin, staring at the ceiling. She felt really weak and tired, all of a sudden... but more than that, she was ashamed. Yes, she wasn't familiar with her Psynergy, but she'd been beaten so easily! She needed to be better than this. How would she stop Project Psynergy if that was the best she could muster? How could she and Isaac hope to do anything?

Pushing the degrading thoughts out of her mind, Jenna forced herself to keep moving, heading to the cabin below the deck and clambering onto the corner of the seat there. She reached into a cabinet, retrieving a spare pistol that Ivan had pointed out to her during the last trip.

Then she waited. She couldn't fight him directly as she was, so the best she could do was catch him by surprise if he did pursue her... and hope that Isaac would be there to help soon.

...were those footsteps on the deck...?

_Come on, Isaac..._

…

"Maybe it's just me," Hama said, glancing up at the sky as the mist thickened around them, "but I think your vision is coming to pass, Feizhi."

"As much as I hate to think of the connotations of being able to see the future... I think I have to agree." Feizhi glanced around the docks, hissing in frustration. "How are we supposed to spot anything in this mist? The fight could be over by the time we get there..."

Garet said nothing. He just kept walking, trying as best as he could to make out anything amidst the fog. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon heading through the harbour, trying to get a good grasp of the layout and looking around for anything that might have suggested the presence of Jenna. So far, they hadn't seen anything, but the docks were fairly large. With the fog obscuring so much right now, something could slip through their net quite easily.

They had to find her, and quickly. It'd be great to have Jenna on their side, even if she didn't know all that much about what was going on. He'd never realised it before, but Garet sincerely missed the days of his childhood spent back in Vale with the others... yet life had just kept getting in the way of any of those memories, especially since the chaos of Project Psynergy had reared its ugly head.

Maybe, just maybe, there'd be a happy reunion at the end of all of this to make the whole experience not feel like a crazy dream...

"Hey, Garet, did you hear that?"

"Huh? No... hear what?" He glanced at Feizhi, then looked out around the docks, only to be confronted by mist yet again. Was it his imagination, or did it seem to be getting thicker by the minute?

"I heard it," Hama replied. "A woman shouting. Did you hear which way it came from?"

Feizhi shook her head. "It's too hard to tell in the fog..."

Hama glanced between them, then shrugged and held out her hands. "Then we'll just have to eliminate that from the equation. Take my hand, both of you."

Garet and Feizhi exchanged glances, but neither questioned her as they did as asked. Hama closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. Then the rings of energy began to move across her body... Psynergy.

And then, as soon as he blinked, the world around Garet had shifted. He could see the harbour with perfect clarity... the boats, docks, and occasional lost looking person had all been revealed as if the mist had lifted. Yet... it was still there. Somehow, he could still see it there, in a translucent sort of way... but it no longer impeded his vision, as if his eyes had begun to pierce through.

"I can see through it!" Feizhi exclaimed, her tone mimicking Garet's surprise. "How did you do that?"

"It's a little trick I was taught with Psynergy," Hama said, smiling. "Regardless of what you and anyone else may think of it, being an Adept doesn't just mean hurting people. It'll only last as long as you're holding my hand, thought."

Feizhi looked as though she was about to object, which her master interrupted. "The fog is still there, so if you feel in any way embarrassed by this, nobody but us can see it. Focus on what we're here for."

Garet rolled his eyes, then hesitated when Feizhi glared at him. Right, she could see that too...

"Fine. Let's get a move on, then." Feizhi stepped forward and the others followed, each of them trying to look for signs of any combat.

It was Garet who spotted it first, but he almost didn't realise it. Not too far away from them, on the next pier over, was a long-haired man looking over a boat. The scene would have been perfectly inconspicuous had he not spotted movement on the deck of the boat, but as soon as Garet paid any attention to it, it stopped.

As he watched, the man raised his hand. The image began to shimmer, then, as though Hama's ability was fading... but clarity was restored just in time to see a huge block of ice fly from the man's hand and crash into the deck.

"Hama! There!"

He pointed towards the man, prompting both women to look in that direction. Barely waiting to react, Hama released her grip on both of their hands and started calling her Psynergy again, thrusting her arm out towards him. Even as Garet's vision started to blur as the mist became opaque once more, he could see the lightning bolt arc from her arm and strike the man.

"Another Adept. Plus there's someone else on the boat... she looks hurt." Hama nodded. "I'll cover you from here, go now. Help her."

"Which way?" asked Feizhi, looking around once more. "I didn't see it clearly enough!"

"Come on." Garet took her by the arm and started running. Despite the white mist clouding his vision, he could still see the setting in his mind's eye. He moved as fast as he could to make sure Feizhi was keeping up, though she didn't seem to have any trouble keeping pace.

As they moved to the next dock, Garet noticed that the fog seemed to be dissipationg around them... as they neared their destination, he was suddenly able to see some distance through the thinning veil. Before him, pulling himself to his feet, was the long-haired man he'd seen use Psynergy moments before. He was reasonably well dressed and looked almost like a businessman, though he had the posture of a soldier. His features were vaguely reminiscient of a Lemurian... not at all what Garet would have exposed of someone involved with the Proxians.

The man stood, dusting his shirt off nonchalantly before turning to face them. He looked as casual as if they'd knocked on his door, rather than dropped a lightning bolt on his face. Slowly, his expression shifted a smirk.

"Ah... you two. I was wondering where you were hiding."

The pair exchanged glances.

"I'm sorry," Feizhi said, "have we met?"

"Not exactly." The man folded his arms and shrugged. "But I've heard your descriptions mentioned to me. You were at Madra and directly responsible for the international incident, unless I am mistaken. It makes sense that you'd be in Alhafra, now... not the safest or most sensible place in Weyard to hide, but if you're looking to continue making trouble, all the news centred on this city would definitely act as a beacon to you, would it not?"

He looked so smug that Garet simply wanted to walk over and punch his face in. But that wouldn't do... this man knew something about Project Psynergy, and he wanted to find out as much as he could.

Like, for example, how the hell he had managed to shrug off a lightning bolt. That question would have to wait, however.

"You're involved in Project Psynergy, aren't you?"

"Not so loud," the man answered, looking around for a moment. His smirk remained, though, which lead Garet to believe that he was being mocked. "But I suppose you could say that. What would you like me to tell you? The number of Adepts involved? The methods by which Psynergy is produced? The ultimate aims and intentions? The exact movements of operatives in all regards?"

Feizhi paused. "It would be kinda nice if you told us all that, yeah."

He laughed. "Well, it's not going to be that simple."

"It never is," Garet said with a faint sigh. "So are you actually going to cough up anything useful given that we have you outgunned, or do we have to do this the hard way? Because I'm curious why a Lemurian is helping out Prox."

"You're just children in the grand scheme of this, do you understand that?" He shook his head, glancing around as if trying to pierce the mist. "Children. All the clues are out there for you to piece together, but you're not even close to understanding it. Worse, you're so easily letting yourselves be manipulated."

Gritting his teeth, Garet flared his Psynergy and conjured a large fire in the palm of his hands, looking menacingly at the Lemurian. "Answer the damn question or I'll burn that smirk off your face."

"Going to fight me, then? Good. Had you dawdled any longer, I might have already killed your friend."

He grinned and snapped his fingers, pointing off to the side. The gesture forced the fog to part, unveiling the docks where they'd first approached from and letting them see Hama... who was on the ground, blue in the face, struggling to pull something from her neck.

Something that looked a lot like a rope made of solid mist.

"Hama!" Feizhi yelled, starting in that direction. She looked to be struggling to decide whether to run to her master, or stay... and that indecision let the Lemurian step towards them, flinging his hand at her to unleash a localised hailstorm that he'd conjured.

Garet wasn't caught off guard, however. He shoved Feizhi out of the way, standing in the path of the ice and thrusting his arms forward. A wave of flame roared into existence around him, flying forward and engulfing the hail as quickly as it was produced.

The flames reached his opponent, but were quickly extinguished by a wall of water that sprung up inches before him. In the distance, Garet could hear Hama gasp and cough... a sign that she wasn't being strangled anymore. Good. He'd broken his concentration.

_There's three of us and one of you. Do you really think you can stop us all?_

Pulled from her reverie, Feizhi snapped her attention back to the fight. Glancing at Garet once, she sprinted towards the Lemurian, taking a slightly rounded path at the edge of the docks so that she could position herself to one side of him. Taking the hint, Garet started running towards the other side to flank him, distracting his target by launching a series of rapid fireballs as he ran and placing himself between the man and the boat he'd been damaging.

The man was quick to react, raising a hand and flinging balls of conjured water in a wide spray towards Garet, striking him ineffectually but also nullifying each of the fireballs. He then span on his heel and, in the same motion, brought his leg up in a fast kick at Feizhi's midsection.

She struggled to react in time but narrowly deflected the blow with her hand, stepping in and swinging her free hand in a right hook to strike the Lemurian in the side of the head. He was fast to react, however... he shifted his head away from the blow, but he was still off balance from the kick and thus started to slip forward. He staggered and grabbed hold of Feizhi's shoulder... and then, in a blur of motion, he grabbed her by the neck, shifted his leg behind hers, and then twisted himself to drag Feizhi down.

Garet could barely see the manoeuvre, yet in a heartbeat Feizhi was lying on the ground, the Lemurian pinning her chest down with one knee. He swivelled around to glance at Garet, then flicked his hand forward. Before he could react, the mist between them thickened and seemed to grow solid.

This might be a serious challenge... just who the hell was this guy and why was he so good?

Adrenalin pumping through him, Garet tried to step forward, but he made contact with the mist and was suddenly unable to push through. Snarling, he raised his hands and unleashed another powerful wave of flame, which proved far more effective. The mist before him dissipated, but revealed only Feizhi... his opponent had vanished, and his companion was slowly forcing herself up, one hand clutching her stomach.

"Are you alright?" Garet asked, crouching beside her. "Where i-"

He wasn't even able to finish before Feizhi lunged forward and threw him aside, a split second before a huge chunk of ice sailed through the air where his head had been a moment ago. Both of them glanced at the fallen boulder for a moment before turning in the direction it had been thrown from.

The first thing Garet saw was the kick flying towards his head, which struck him solidly in the the cheek and flung him to the ground. Pain exploded in his mind, and his vision was suddenly nothing but stars and spinning fog. There was a tangy taste in his mouth... blood? Wouldn't surprise him given how strong the kick had been.

Fighting the sudden urge to sleep it off, Garet rolled over onto his side – he wasn't even sure how he'd gotten to his back in the first place – and saw the Lemurian locked into combat with Feizhi.

The young woman seemed utterly furious, launching into her opponent with a ferocity that was almost unnerving to Garet. She struck in rapid succession, constantly moving forward and pressing the assault as she rained punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes and all manner of other blows against the Lemurian. Despite his early dominance, now he was struggling to defend against it. Had Garet not been so rattled by the attack, he might have found Feizhi's martial arts display impressive.

It didn't continue forever. The man blocked a quick one-two punch with his hands before stepping forward and catching Feizhi underneath the chin with his elbow. He lashed out with a quick knee to her groin, before stepping back again. As Feizhi staggered and assumed a defensive posture, the Lemurian brought his hand down, and a rain of ice shards formed above her before dropping down like a sudden storm.

Feizhi reeled back, dropping to a crouch and raising a hand above her head to shield any further attacks. She was bleeding from several scratches on her head, chest, and arms, and looked as if the fight was already drained from her.

The sight was enough to make Garet come entirely back to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he shifted around from his prone position to face the Lemurian. If this went on for too much longer, they'd be too weak to fight back. It had to end here.

His opponent had used Psynergy in numerous interesting ways... ice, water, fog, all of these techniques could be traced backl to the one "element" of water. So far, Garet had only used his Psynergy to make flames, but even that had been adapted into a shield when he'd first started using them. But the Proxian he'd fought in Madra had used his abilities in other ways. There had to be more that Garet was capable of, something that wouldn't be nullified quite so easily.

_Alright... let's see what else I can do..._

He didn't stand, so as not to draw attention to himself, and brought his hands to his chest. Then, Garet fed as much Psynergy as he could into them. No flames appeared, but the area around him immediately started to heat up. Sweat formed on his forehead despite the cold temperature.

If fire didn't work, how about heat and force?

The Lemurian turned his attention to Garet just as Garet unleashed his Psynergy. From his hands emerged a beam of energy, hot enough to evaporate the fog instantly as it carved a path towards its target. The man didn't even have time to look shocked before the beam struck him in the chest.

There was a sound like a slab of meat being slammed against a wall, accompanied by a bright flash. The heat seemed to intensify for an instant before fading. And then the man was gone.

For a moment, Garet was overcome by horror. Had he just... disintegrated him? The horror abated instantly, however, at the sound of a splash as something large hit the water beneath the docks. So that was it...

Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself up into a sitting position. From there, he crawled the short distance to where Feizhi was lying on the pier, groaning quietly.

"Hey, you alright? Anything seriously injured?"

Feizhi coughed and moved to sit up, so Garet helped her up. Once there, she spat out blood and gave him a faint smile. "Only my pride. Did you get him?"

"I hit him with..." Garet paused, then frowned. "I hit him with something and knocked him off the pier. I don't know if he's done, though..."

There was a moment's hesitation, then they both stood at once and moved sluggishly towards the water's edge. This pier was only a foot above the water while the tide was high – like now – so anyone floating it in should have been visible even with the faint mist clinging to the surface.

But there was nobody there, living or otherwise. The Lemurian was gone.

Feizhi glanced at Garet, frowning. "You think we should jump in and check?"

Garet snorted. "Go in the water? With a guy using water based Psynergy? Sure, just let me file some insurance first..."

"Okay, okay, stupid question." She rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Who the hell was he, and why was he kicking our asses so thoroughly? This mystery just gets more and more complex..."

"I don't know." He leaned back and looked up at the sky, noting that the fog seemed to be thinning with every passing moment. Was the mist simply conjured by his Psynergy? That seemed excessively powerful... then again, Garet knew so little of his own Psynergy, let alone others. Who knew what Adepts were really capable of?

Feizhi sat down again, looking at the water as if plumbing the depths for a potential hidden foe. Absently, Garet sat beside her and glanced over her face. She had taken a hit or two... her lip was split, one of her cheeks was swelling slightly, and she'd likely have a black eye.

Even so... he held the glance long enough for Feizhi to notice, glancing back at him in return and smirking. "Yes?"

"Um... just making sure you're not too badly hurt." He could feel himself turning red, and he looked away. Already he knew what the implications of that glance would likely trigger in her mind, and his stomach started to twist itself at the mere thought of it.

Though... now Garet was starting to wonder if he even cared.

"You can relax, my hero." He had to keep from cringing as she said those words. "I'm fine... Hama's given me worse beatings than that one." She smiled again, then suddenly stood up and looked around. "Oh god, Hama! Is she okay?"

"Yeah, thanks so much for the concern," said a voice from behind them. They were both standing and facing the other way instantly, only to see a mildly irritated Hama eyeing them. She looked fine, though Garet could see bruises already forming at her neck, and her voice was slightly hoarse. "But I'm okay. He dropped me as soon as he started fighting you guys, and I was too stunned to really do anything more. I'm sorry."

_How long was she standing there, watching us? I swear, she has some kind of perverse delight in watching me squirm around Feizhi..._

"It's not your fault," Garet said, pushing the offending thoughts from his mind. "Just good to see that he didn't kill you. Have you ever seen an Adept like that?"

Hama frowned, shaking her head. "No. Admittedly... I never thought there were many Adepts aside from my Master and I, so I never had too much training beyond what I was capable of doing myself. But this one was strong... really strong. I don't know if I'd want to have to fight him alone."

"Imagine if there was a whole army like him," Feizhi said, rubbing her head. "This Psynergy stuff could easily wipe out cities."

"Hell, we think it already did. What about Imil?"

"Imil hasn't been wiped out yet," Hama pointed out. "If we move quickly, we can stop it and everywhere else from suffering such a fate. Especially if we're able to get useful insights into the future from Feizhi... remember, we wouldn't have encountered that man tonight if you hadn't had your vision."

Almost instinctively, Feizhi rubbed her headband. "We didn't get anything out of it except an asskicking, though!"

"Are you quite sure about that, Feizhi?"

Garet gasped. "Oh, right! In all the excitement, I didn't even think to check the boat..."

He turned and stepped up towards the edge of the dock, glancing over the boat. It was a fairly good-sized machine, and probably reasonably expensive... he wasn't too familiar with them, but he could tell that it was a comparatively newer design that was easily capable of extended ocean trips. Aside from the damage to the side of the deck where the Lemurian had blasted it with, it looked in great working order... the engine was even running right now, although it wasn't going anywhere. Why had it been attacked... or who was using it to warrant such an occurence? Those questions in mind, Garet stepped forward and placed a foot on the deck.

There was a click. It was a noise that Garet was becoming all too familiar with... the sound of an energy pistol being armed.

"Hands up, all of you. Don't take another step." The voice was not from the boat, but behind it.

Garet pulled his foot back onto the deck and turned, raising his hands as he did so. Hama and Feizhi had done the same. Through the lingering mist, he could spot a man standing there, long hair waving, his smirk plastered on his face yet again...

Then the mist shifted, and Garet could see that it wasn't the Lemurian at all. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but there was still a gun pointed at him, so he refrained.

Instead, he gasped when he realised who was speaking.

The man was about his age, although not as tall or broad in size, and his black hair was much less spikier despite being messy. He held the gun in one hand, aiming it at Garet but constantly looking back and forth between him and the two women. His face was hard... but more than that, it was familiar.

It was a face that, like Jenna's, Garet had spent so much of his childhood seeing. It was a face that, even if he hadn't seen it again, he would remember fondly on his deathbed as his first real best friend. It was a face that, despite the hostility, was instantly a welcome – if unexpected – sight.

"Isaac!" he said, disbelievingly. "You're here! I mean... holy crap, man, it's you! I..."

Isaac took a step forward, keeping the gun pointed directly at him. "Stop. Move away from the boat or I'll shoot you. I don't care how you know my name."

Hesitating somewhat, Garet still reluctantly did as he was told. More and more questions just floated to his mind, but he forced them all aside.

This was a chance he'd never expected to see. When Vale had been destroyed in the Mount Aleph eruption, the survivors had all separated and gone their own ways. Some had stayed to rebuild in the general vicinity or migrated to the nearby Vault region, but most had simply moved to other places in the world. Garet's family had taken the opportunity to move east like they'd always wanted, moving to Madra immediately. Isaac's family, as well as Jenna's, had moved elsewhere entirely... they'd all promised to keep in touch, but they'd both dropped off the face of the planet immediately.

He'd long since wondered what had become of them, and he'd always hoped to be reunited with them. Having a gun pointed at him by his former best friend was _not_ what he had expected, but that was not going to deter him.

"Know your name? Isaac, it's me! It's Garet! We haven't seen each other in three years, but... come on! You have to remember me!"

The gun didn't budge, but Isaac's face gradually slipped from hard to confused. "No, I don't."

"I... we... come on, man! We spent fourteen years of our life growing up together in Vale! How the hell can you tell me you don't remember that? We were the best of friends! You've grown up a bit and changed your hair colour, it used to be blonde... but you still look like you! We went adventuring around Mount Aleph with Jenna and Felix, we'd go fishing down by the river, we'd swap crazy stories or just hang out and watch TV or-"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Isaac roared, and Garet stopped. His former best friend's face was twisted into a look of utter confusion and shock, and he started to shake his head. "I... I don't remember. Any of it. Anything." He tapped his head with his free hand. "Amnesia."

"Amnesia? Oh god... what happened?"

He took a step forward, but Isaac jabbed the gun forward as if to ward him off. He looked about ready to snap. "Just don't move a goddamn inch or I will shoot you! Listen. I don't know who you are. I don't know why you're here. But you were about to board my ship and threaten my friend and so help me I will end your miserable life if you take another step! I... I..."

Garet stared at him, imploringly, but Isaac just shook his head and stepped forward again, barely feet away from him now.

"You... you seem familiar, I will say this much." Isaac looked pained, yet determination was evident in his expression. "But I remember nothing. Right now, I have too much to lose to put my trust in you, even if it might help me remember. Take your friends, stand back, and don't move an inch until this boat is long gone. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Garet nodded and moved back. Hama and Feizhi did the same, evidently confused but not about to interfere. As soon as they had moved a safe distance, Isaac boarded the deck of the boat and untied the moorings with one hand, keeping his pistol raised and ready to fire. Finally, with one last confused look at Garet, he disappeared inside.

The boat didn't leave immediately, but after what seemed like an eternity, it began to pull away from the dock. Merely seconds later, it disappeared into the night, lost from sight.

And with it went the first, and perhaps last, sliver of connection Garet had with his former friend.

"One of your friends from Vale?" Feizhi asked, moving beside him. "You mentioned Jenna... and he mentioned a friend on the boat... do you think that was her that we saw? Maybe that was why the Lemurian was after it... tracking her down after the television appearance to silence her."

He didn't answer. He just stared into the distance.

"...Garet...?"

Despite himself, Garet suddenly clutched onto Feizhi and buried his head in her shoulder, sobbing. She could do little except hold him back, petting his back soothingly.

…

Isaac was in a complete daze as he piloted the boat out of Alhafra and into the open ocean, setting a course for Imil. He'd barely been able to focus even when he found Jenna huddling in the cabin, burnt in several places and with a hole in her hand. He'd checked and helped her bandage her wounds before getting their boat underway, but his thoughts were very much elsewhere the entire time.

He listened with concern as Jenna related her brief confrontation with the mysterious assailant, but none of the people there when he'd arrived had matched that description. Jenna had been hiding away and hadn't heard anything until Isaac had stepped on deck minutes later, so the identity of all the people they'd encountered that night was uncertain.

The more Isaac listened, though, the more his thoughts shifted distractedly to the words spoken by the redheaded man.

It couldn't be helped. He'd lived without memories of his childhood for three years now, never getting so much as the slightest dream or errant thought that could tell him details of who he was. Never had he reacted to _anything_ as much as he'd reacted to Garet's words... his reaction had been explosive, stemming more from uncertainty than for any of the admittedly large concern he had for Jenna's wellbeing at the time.

Finally, his thoughts reached critical mass.

"I have to go back there."

"What?" Jenna blinked from her perch on the nearby seats, eyeing him as if he'd just called her something offensive. "Isaac, that's crazy. Why?

"The people at the dock... only one of them spoke to me, but he knew who I was." Isaac paused. "Who I really am... I mean, before the amnesia."

"You're kidding." Jenna stood and moved up beside him, studying his features. "What happened?"

"He... he called himself Garet. He said we'd been friends in Vale growing up, but..." Isaac glanced at her, then set the boat to autopilot for the moment before moving her to the bench and sitting down with her. "He said your name, as well."

She stared at him, remaining silent for a few long seconds before finally speaking. "He... did he mention somebody called Felix?'

Now it was Isaac's turn to stare. "Yes... he did. How did you...?" He paused, rubbing his temples. "Felix is your brother, isn't he? You've mentioned having a brother before but you never mentioned his name."

"I wasn't even sure of it." Jenna shook her head before cuddling up against him, pursing her lips. "When we fought those Proxians in Alhafra... you know, when they brought the roof down on top of us?"

"Hard to forget," Isaac noted.

"I had a... a dream then, while I was unconscious. And then for the first time in all these years, I was able to see a glimpse of that lost brother's face... and hear his name. Felix. I wasn't sure what to think of it until you mentioned this..."

"I don't know what to think of any of it." He sighed exasperatedly. "But there's no way it can be a coincidence. This Garet guy... he knew my name, my hair colour, my hometown... if I wasn't so concerned about getting out of the city with you I would have spoken to him properly, tried to pump him for information. So... I want to go back."

Jenna was silent for a lot longer this time, though she cuddled against him closer as if seeking comfort. Isaac was only happy to provide it, putting his arms around her as they sat in silence for a time.

"My name is Jenna," she murmured, almost as though talking to herself. "I'm seventeen. I'm the youngest of two children... my older brother is Felix. And... we came from Vale." She paused, then looked at Isaac. "I was a bit of a tomboy, mostly because I grew up with two male friends... Isaac and Garet."

Isaac met her gaze, frowning slightly. "I guess that's what he was suggesting. Do you remember any of that, though?"

She hesitated. "I... I don't know. I don't _remember_ any of it, specifically... but even when I say it out loud like that, I don't think I'm able to call it anything but the truth. It feels right. It feels honest. It feels like... me."

"Well... I guess that explains we seemed familiar to each other, doesn't it?"

"I guess it does." Jenna studied him quietly again for a few seconds before kissing him quickly. "Doesn't change my mind about anything, though. I love you because you're you, not because some Jenna I don't even remember had some kind of crush on you when she was thirteen."

"I guess that's a relief. I was kind of worried about that, for a moment."

Jenna started to laugh. Without even realising it, Isaac joined in her laughter, until together they were nearly in hysterics. When the whole world was going insane around them, he noted, it felt good just to let loose and laugh with a loved one like that. What else could they do?

When the laughter subsided, Jenna sighed faintly and slid out of his arms, moving to the boat's helm.

"Alright. I guess this is a tough choice, but we'd better make it now. Do we turn back and try and find this Garet guy, and maybe recover something of our memories? Or do we continue on our crazy vigilante mission against the Proxians?"

Isaac closed his eyes and contemplated for a few seconds. Despite the internal conflict of interest the question provided, the answer was forthcoming almost immediately.

"We already know what we need to do... we need to go to Imil. If nothing else, we need to see what we can do about Ivan. Once that's done... his name is Garet. I know what he looks like. It's a start. We can track him down again, meet up with him under better circumstances."

"That's what I think too," Jenna agreed. "As much as I'm curious... who I was in the past doesn't change who I am now. And right now..." She tapped the bandage around her head. "Jenna wants vengeance."

"Let's do it, then. To Imil!"

"To Ivan!"

…

His arms felt like lead by the time he swam the final distance to the beach and was able to stand up in the sand, but that was the least of Alex's concerns right now. Dragging himself out of the water, he staggered wearily up the beach to the wall of rocks that acted as the breaker between the waves and one of Alhafra's beachside suburbs, sitting down there and taking a moment to catch his breath. Thankfully, the sun had set by now, so he was unlikely to be seen or questioned by any of the locals.

In hindsight, that had probably been the worst damage control in the history of Weyard.

Alex's original intention had been to remove the two Adepts from chasing down Project Psynergy any further, either by killing them or abducting them and hopefully bringing them into the fold later. It didn't take a genius to see how badly that had gone.

They'd probably have left by now... he didn't wait around to see. He hadn't counted on those three being there, after all.

His discussion with Agatio back at Jupiter Lighthouse regarding the situation hadn't been completely thorough. He'd held back some information from his Proxian subordinate, if only because he took a certain perverse pleasure in being the only one who held all the cards. That information had been Saturos' full report on the Madra incident.

The entire thing had come about because there had been Adepts in the Madran police force. _Adepts_. Not only had they succeeded in securing the only Stage Two quality Jupiter strain currently in existence, but they had Adepts among them of both wind and fire elements that had been enough to repel Saturos and his men, destroying the Psynergy samples in the process.

And now, against all expectations, those very same rogue Adepts had made their way to Alhafra – no doubt following the siren song of the hacked television broadcast – and interrupted him before he could neutralise his targets. They weren't anything special on their own, he decided, but he'd been unable to keep his eye on all three of them at the same time... that had been his downfall, in the long run.

As if just now remembering the fight – specifically, the wound that had ended it – Alex attempted to unbutton his shirt, only to find that the buttons had melted into the cloth and flesh beneath. Wincing, he tore the shirt open forcefully, gritting his teeth against the fresh wave of pain. Blood began to seep from the nasty burn wound that rested just below his neck, a testament to just how painful Psynergy wounds could be. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep, and all that time spent in the saltwater would hopefully have cleaned it out.

Sighing, he shut out the pain and stood, wondering how to get to his hotel from here without attracting attention. He might just need to find another one.

Rogue Adepts were everywhere, now. He had no idea where they'd sprung up from... excluding Piers, he hadn't been responsible for any of them. Even the hacker girl had used Psynergy at him, and her partner clearly had the Venus strain, something that was currently unique to Felix amongst the Proxian forces. How had this come about?

The only thing he could possibly think of was a situation similar to his first encounter with Psynergy... people stumbling on the bacteria and gaining it that way. Or perhaps they had connections to the Ancients, somehow...

Who knew? Alex didn't, and for the time being it was irrelevant. He'd just have to inform the Proxians of the rogues, and hopefully have them be in a position to counter and defend against them as best as possible. As long as they weren't particularly numerous, Prox would still maintain the upper hand.

So. Mission failed... his targets had gotten away, and now he had more targets to chase down. Worse, he'd been identified as an Adept by some of these rogues, so much of his ability to go undercover had been potentially compromised. He'd probably have to return to Prox and leave the hunt to others, but for the time being he was still the only person in position to act on the situation.

It wasn't all bad, though. He'd had his first opportunity to test his Psynergy in actual combat, and it had worked reasonably well. Using the mist had been a very interesting and extremely successful idea – he'd been able to manipulate the water particles to make it seem like a one-way mirror, seeing his opponents even as they'd been unable to see him. Psynergy was extremely adaptable with a little creative thought.

And that wasn't the only success to come from this mission.

Alex reached into a pocket and pulled out a waterproof case, removing a PDA from it. A few button presses later, and a world map displayed itself on the screen. On it, in the water just out of Alhafra, was a blinking red dot.

Good. He smiled and put the device away. His time spent in the water hadn't been entirely for escape, after all... when it seemed like he needed to withdraw, he'd at least taken the liberty of planting a tracking device on the underside of the hacker's boat. They may have escaped him this time, but he'd know exactly where they were going and deal with them that way.

That would leave him with the remaining three that were still in Alhafra until other Proxian forces could arrive and investigate, which would not be for sometime until any traces of the media buzz surrounding them died down. He'd have to continue what he was doing and take care of them himself, something he didn't particularly mind doing.

_After all..._ _I have a score to settle. _He glanced at his wound, smiling to himself.

…

**Author's Notes: **First things first: This chapter was going to have a couple of added scenes, but I honestly think it would have drawn too much away from what feels like one of the most climactic parts of the story to date, so I pushed them back. Sorry, Hinoa, that means your cameo will have to wait until the next chapter. You'll definitely be in it though, promise.

Right. So. Dark Dawn. Wasn't it just a great game? Some people complain a little bit about it feeling unfinished or not concluding enough, and I definitely see their reasoning, but I just couldn't help but enjoy the hell out of it. However, it has the potential to change Project Psynergy entirely if I choose to let it... which I have decided not to.

Project Psynergy is currently going to exclude Dark Dawn from its plot. There's a lot more I can do just with the first two games, and my interpretations of the original ones don't always translate perfectly to the sequel (even though Valeshipping is _canon_! I called it!). That doesn't mean I won't necessarily get around to writing, say, Project Eclipse in the future... but that is very much in the future. Project Psynergy will conclude without drawing any more than coincidental plot elements from Dark Dawn and will continue to operate in much the same fashion as it always has.

So yes. Said my piece, I'm done. I'll be back with another update when I can, so I hope you've enjoyed this one!


	26. Cooperation

**Author's Notes:** Let's see now... my watch says this one's been written in just over a month, which I think is pretty good. In order to accomplish that, however, I changed my method of approaching writing sessions entirely. The result means that I'll hopefully get more writing done quickly, but sometimes what I write doesn't seem as... inspired, I suppose. This chapter was forced, and while I've made it as good as it can be, it doesn't feel as entertaining to me as one that comes naturally. Hopefully, I'm just being paranoid and it's still a good read. So hey, enjoy.

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 21 – Cooperation**

Ivan peered out over the ocean, a frown set on his face as he scanned the gradually darkening horizon again. Any moment now, he'd be able... there it was. A blinking bright light flashed at him, occasionally obscured by the rolling waves but growing in intensity as the seconds wore on.

Another boat. They'd been spotted, even this far out to sea.

Cursing under his breath, Ivan stepped inside the cabin, glancing towards Sheba. She was perched at the helm, keeping the boat moving straight, but turned as soon as he entered. Ivan was still slightly dubious about trusting her... in the end, though, he'd convinced himself that she was just as much of a victim as Mia or anybody else caught up in Project Psynergy. As such, when she'd asked if she could help out, he'd let her.

He'd just have to hope that trust wasn't misplaced... he didn't fancy riding the lightning to extinction just yet.

"You were right. It's out there, and it looks to be getting closer." Ivan frowned. "We stayed out of most of the shipping lanes going to and from Lemuria... the odds of bumping into anyone are unfairly low, yet here they are."

"Do you think they're Proxian?"

"I don't know. Doesn't look like it, but it's still too far to be sure. It seemed like we got the drop on them when we snuck off with their boat, so I can't imagine them being in the water and chasing us that quickly, but..." He shrugged.

Sheba considered, glancing at a screen on the controls that displayed a small map of Weyard. Given that they'd only left Imil two days ago, they'd made considerable progress – they were already clearing the eastern lip of Angara, cutting south through the ocean and into Lemurian territory. They'd probably be in Alhafra in just three days if they could maintain that kind of pace.

"If it was just a cargo ship or a cruiser or something passing through, they wouldn't have signalled to us, meaning it's probably military." She frowned. "For that matter, it seems unlikely that they'd signal us if they were chasing us, either."

Ivan glanced at the map. "So you think they're just local patrols?"

"I'd imagine so." She tapped the map as she spoke. "The closest major cities around here are Izumo, Champa, or Lemuria. We're still a little too far out to expect Lemurians, though. That's probably for the best... Lemurians aren't that fond of Prox, and we _are _in a Proxian boat."

He nodded. These were all possibilities he'd already considered, and the most likely answer had already sprung to mind. Still, it was interesting to see how Sheba was picking up on all these nuances so quickly. She was a lot smarter than he might have initially given her credit for. Her amnesia only seemed to effect personal details about herself, not general knowledge and intelligence.

"Champans, then. They're the ones with the biggest navy around here, and they can be fairly fierce about protecting their territory." Ivan tapped his chin. "Let's just hope they're not pirates."

"Assuming they're not, it probably can't hurt to hail them."

He glanced at her. "Do you really think that's a good idea when we're in a stolen boat?"

Sheba met his gaze calmly. "Not everyone hates Proxians as much as I do, you know."

"All the more reason to be wary. If they think we've stolen it, they might shoot us and turn our corpses back over to Prox."

"Okay... fine. That's one extreme I hadn't considered." She sighed. "But what I meant is that they probably don't have any reason to be directly hostile to us if they really are Champan, so we can at least hail them and see what they want. No need to arouse suspicions about who we are and what we're up to. And if they're hostile... just zap them or something."

"You make it sound so easy. Fine, I'll signal them. Bring us around." Despite himself, Ivan gave her a smirk before retrieving a flashlight from beside the console. He then stepped back outside and tried to spot the boat again.

It was not difficult to do – the boat was close enough that he could see the person on the deck controlling the light. Somehow, the distance between them had halved in the time they'd been talking. Ivan cursed. How had they gained so much ground so quickly?

He flipped the torch on and pointed it towards the man that he could see on the deck, switching it on and off a few times. As he did so, he could feel the boat start to turn, gradually coming around to intercept the approaching vessel.

The boats were now close enough that he could see details a little more clearly. As they'd guessed, it was from Champa – the flag that depicted waves breaking against a cliff was well known by any who entered the water. It was also a good sign... pirates never flew national colours, even if they were Champan. With luck, they'd be reasonable.

Ivan glanced back at their own boat for a time. He'd taken down the Proxian flag as soon as they'd moved out of sight of Imil's harbour, but the dragon motif that was painted all along the hull belied the boat's origin regardless. Proxian boats were as instantly recognisable as Lemurian ships, with the latter all having a sea serpent figurehead on the bow. It seemed largely unnecessary, but given that most of the ships in use were designed during times of war, there needed to be some kind of visual indicator to see which side was which.

And to think that those indicators might actually be used again if things kept up as they were...

His counterpart must have seen him, as he flashed the light twice more in quick succession. Moments later, the light started blinking in a different pattern, one that Ivan quickly recognised as Morse Code. Thankfully, he'd learnt how to read that once as a means of communicating between hackers in his early days...

The light blinked out what translated to a short series of numbers, which the man then began to repeat. Ivan frowned for a moment, but then realised with a start that it was a radio frequency. That made sense. Sheba had switched the radio off out of paranoia, so they'd probably been trying to get their attention on open channels for some time.

Once he'd memorised the frequency, Ivan blinked his torch a few times to show recognition. The other boat did similarly, and the lights switched off. Satisfied, he stepped back inside and moved over to Sheba again.

"I guess it's too rough out there to try to board us," Ivan commented.

"I was about to say something similar." She shrugged. "What are they doing instead? Radio?"

"Seems like it." He sat beside her and switched the radio on, adjusting the frequency until it matched the one that had been sent to him. As he did so, a voice came over the speakers, and he adjusted it further until it was perfectly audible.

"This is Captain Hinoa of the vessel Ancardia, hailing the unidentified Proxian ship. You've already confirmed that you're aware of us, so you can stop hiding now. Please respond."

Ivan glanced at Sheba before taking the handset and hitting the transmit button. "I read you, Hinoa. My name's Ivan... this vessel is currently unnamed. What can I do for you?"

The Champan laughed for a moment. "Unnamed? You're clearly not a sailor or you'd know how much bad luck that is. You also don't look at all like a Proxian, so excuse my curiosity. What brings you to these waters?"

Sheba was bringing them around closer to the Champans, but changed the heading so that they were both facing opposite directions. Probably a wise decision... it might buy them a few seconds if they decided to make a break for it. "What are you going to say to them?"

Ivan considered that. "We'll see." He then switched the handset back on. "We're travelling to Alhafra, having come from Imil. The boat's an old second hand thing that we picked up at a scrapyard, in case you're wondering."

There was a pause before the reply came. "That's funny. The previous owner must not have done a very good job of preparing the ship for further use, since you're still transmitting in an old Proxian scramble code that would have been cleared from the radio as soon as it left Proxian service. If that hadn't been cracked months ago, I wouldn't have a damn clue what you're saying to me. So, want to cut the crap? Or shall we just seize your unnamed boat for trespassing in Champan waters now and save some time?"

"...great. Didn't you check for something like that earlier?" Sheba asked him.

"I checked for bugs, this is different! Besides, I don't know what kind of codes the Proxians may or may not use! Give me a break." Ivan sighed in frustration, cursing his own carelessness, before tapping transmit again. "Fine... if you must know, the boat is stolen. I took it from the Proxians to escape after they tried to kidnap and then kill my colleague and I. Other than that, everything else I said remains the same – I'm coming from Imil and heading to Alhafra."

The pause was much longer this time.

"Excuse me if I find that one even harder to swallow."

"Believe what you want, but it's the truth. We don't mean to intrude on Champan territory like we are, but this is the most direct route to Alhafra that won't have Lemurians trying to sink us on sight. So where does that leave us?"

"You're crazy," Sheba whispered.

"I have to gamble on the hope that they don't like the Proxians," Ivan answered calmly. "If they do, we're done for. If they don't, we have some leeway. If they don't care, we're done for anyway."

"Well. That's an interesting position you leave me in, Ivan." Hinoa's voice still had a tinge of amusement to it. "Since you're being honest, let me reply with my own honesty. I don't have any great love for the Proxians – not that I think anyone really does – but you're still sailing around in a stolen ship that I'm sure they'd love to retrieve and would probably reward us for turning you in. On the other hand... the story about kidnapping makes me wonder about whether that's such a great idea."

"You could just let us go," Ivan offered.

"I love that you have a sense of humour, Ivan. But no, that's not on the cards." There was another pause. "See, just yesterday we were given orders to keep an eye out for Proxian activity out here more than anything else, and to report back ASAP if we find anything. Seems the higher ups expect heightened traffic from north in the days to come. Now not a day later, you come to me in a Proxian ship claiming that you're fleeing kidnapping."

"You're expecting higher traffic?" Ivan frowned. "What's given Champa that impression?"

"Beats me. All I know is what I've been told, on orders from Captain Briggs himself." Yet another pause, only this time Ivan could tell that Hinoa was hesitating. "And that's all I'll tell you until this is straightened out. So here are the choices. Either I escort you back to a location that the Proxians choose, or I escort you back to Champa. The former means no international incident, but the latter is probably the right thing to do. So what say you?"

"Working with Champa?" Sheba frowned. "It'd be good to have allies, but they don't exactly have the greatest reputation for sticking to the right side."

"It's not like we have a choice in the matter." Ivan sighed. Click. "We'll change our course to Champa. I'd be happy to speak to Captain Briggs about all this and see what we can do to sort everything out."

"Alright, simple enough. Change your heading to west-southwest and follow us. We should reach Champa in a few hours, so you'd better run with . Just know that if you start deviating course from our instructions too much, we'll be obliged to sink you. Nothing personal, but this is now official business, and I'm sure you don't want to be wanted by two countries."

"I understand. Thank you, Captain Hinoa."

"You can thank me after we get this straightened out. Over."

Ivan replaced the handset and leaned back heavily in his chair, rubbing his eyes for a moment. "Great. So much for autonomy."

"At least they didn't sell us out. This could have gone a lot worse." Sheba sighed. "So what will happen now?"

"We follow them back to Champa and we speak with this Briggs person, or whoever else is in charge." He considered his options for a few seconds. "This could work in our favour, though. Champa's cracking down on Proxian activity... so that means they've been alerted to something and are keeping an eye out. Perhaps they saw Jenna's broadcast, or maybe Lemuria informed them of something. Either way... they might be able to help us. And if it doesn't work out to benefit us, we just leave as soon as possible."

With a sigh, Sheba adjusted the boat's course to follow in the wake of the Champan vessel. "I hope you're right about that."

...

"There you go." Karst stepped out of the pharmacy, immediately tossing Felix a small paper bag which he caught deftly. "But just because I got you doesn't that mean I don't think you're completely ridiculous."

"Well, I appreciate it anyway." Felix opened the bag and withdrew the packet of aspirin within, quickly tearing it open and downing a couple. Hopefully it would kick in and lessen his headache shortly. "How's my eye look?"

"The same as it did earlier... still bruised." She smirked, peering at his left eye... something he could barely see thanks to the swelling. "It's blue in places, though. Keep it up and we just might make a Proxian of you yet."

"Yeah, great. Just let me stand still while Saturos beats every last inch of my body to a pulp on a regular basis."

"From what I hear of it, he already does that."

"You don't know the half of it..."

"I'll bet. How does he manage to hit you so hard when you're just practicing and his arm is broken, anyway?"

"To be fair, I'm letting him do it."

Karst gave him a bemused look, which made Felix shrug. "No, really. I mean, I'm not trying to make it easy for him, but I gathered given how bored and frustrated he is, it'd be better if our sparring went all out so he vent that. I suppose I get what I deserve."

"You'd think Menardi would be wearing him out more... I'll have to have a chat to her about that." The Proxian girl grinned, and Felix returned the smile. He could just imagine how that conversation would pan out... "Regardless, I'll just be glad that he took you on as a protege rather than me."

Karst winked at him before gesturing towards the beach with a flick of her head. He nodded and they began to walk that way.

It was early afternoon in Lalivero. The weather was clear and leaning towards the hot end of the scale, which was a refreshing change for both of them given the constant chill of the Proxian climate. For that reason, Karst had suggested going for a walk on the beach after Felix had finished sparring with Menardi, a suggestion that he had been all too happy to comply with.

Right now, they were simply killing time and enjoying the chance to rest before operations relating to Project Psynergy became more numerous. Menardi had an appointment with the Tolbi ambassador today regarding the deal she was trying to broker with them, anyway... Alex had suggested that work would probably pick up as soon as that was concluded.

Felix would be happy to get out there, do his part, and be able to repay everything he felt that he owed to Prox. They'd saved him from drowning years before, they'd given him a home and a place in the world, and now with his part to play in Project Psynergy... he was eager to prove himself. Calm, of course, and ready to wait if that's what it took. But he still wanted to show what he could do because of them.

Of course... he glanced at Karst, who noticed and gave him a quick smile. He returned it before looking to his path again. Felix enjoyed spending time with Karst a lot, too... something he hadn't really thought about too much before they were reunited in Alhafra, but something that he found on his mind regularly now. She was pleasant company, always eager to crack a joke or a smile, and so this entire stay at Lalivero had been one of the more memorable experiences that he'd had since... well, since he could remember after waking up in Prox that first time.

Once activity picked up, time spent with Karst would probably be scarce. For that reason alone, Felix wasn't in any hurry for news.

No sooner had he thought this than his phone began to ring.

Karst stopped in her tracks and watched him as he answered it. Caller ID was set to Private, but that didn't mean much... every member of Project Psynergy had an unlisted number.

"Gaia here."

"Hello, Gaia. How's the weather up there?" It was Alex's voice. Felix had to restrain the urge to sigh... if Alex was calling him directly, it was likely to involve an assignment.

"Just fine, Blue." At the codename, Karst tensed up slightly, folding her arms and chewing her lip. He could see it plainly in her eyes that she was thinking much as he was. "How about where you are?"

"Foggy. You might have heard about it on the news, given that reporting on that seems to be the craze ever since the storm over Imil." Alex's tone was as level and calm as ever, but the answer did nothing except confound Felix. The storm over Imil? It had been mentioned in the news, but he'd heard nothing else about it.

"I hadn't heard about it. Should I have?"

"Probably not. This didn't cause any injuries or property damage, since it was just me causing it."

Felix blinked. "I'm... not sure I follow."

"Don't worry about it." Alex chuckled. "Blame the painkillers I'm on."

Painkillers? What the heck was Alex up to?

"I have something else to worry about, though. Something important. For this, I'll require the assistance of you and Rogue, if you'd be so kind as to provide it."

Felix glanced at Karst, who was simply watching and waiting. In that moment, he could see the trained and composed warrior element of her more than anything else about her otherwise playful personality. He wondered if he'd ever be that capable of swapping between facets of himself so easily.

"What do you need us to do?"

"First, allow me to explain the background to this. The Imil storm? That was caused by Stage Three of the Project occurring. Call it a live fire test, if you will."

Felix's gut went cold at that. "What? _You_ did that?" Karst frowned, tilting her head slightly.

"Yes. I'd love to explain the details in full, but that will require a little more time and a proper meeting. That might happen soon, anyway."

He barely heard Alex's comments as he tried to comprehend what he'd been told. Project Psynergy had been divided into numerous Stages, as Alex liked to call them, but most people weren't privy to what each Stage entailed. The first stage was implanting the weaker Psynergy in people for a later purpose. The second stage was giving full power Psynergy that could be manipulated at will to Proxians and their allies, himself included.

All he knew of the third stage was that it involved the Lighthouse structures that Alex had been building, one of which Menardi was negotiating to have built by a third party even now. So... was it the Lighthouses capable of triggering a storm like that?

"I hope it's soon, then. I have a great number of questions..."

"No doubt. Have patience, Gaia, I will provide. Nonetheless, I'm currently where you just were a few days ago, working to clean up the mess that the others inadvertently left behind. There was a news announcement by survivors of a hacking group – the ones that Magma and Rogue destroyed – detailing elements of the Project on international television. Thankfully, however, the storm _conveniently_ knocked that off the airwaves. That, in turn, allowed me to intercept the hackers. Unfortunately, I was attacked by survivors of the Madra incident and the hackers slipped out before I could get them. I barely escaped as well."

Felix was silent for a moment, slowly shaking his head. "That's... a huge amount to swallow. It sounds like just about every possible thing that could come together to disrupt the Project came together for the sole purpose of frustrating the hell out of you."

"I'm not exactly pleased by it either. Don't rub it in." For the first time since Felix had known him, Alex actually sounded annoyed. "If you must know, of the five adversaries involved, four of them are Adepts."

He frowned. Enemy Adepts... Karst had told him of those that she'd encountered in Alhafra. Was Alex trying to finish the job?

"Fine. So how come you didn't inform any of us here of this earlier?"

"I've been occupied by this task, obviously. I've been in touch with Diplomat, but that was mostly to keep her on track rather than deal with my woes. She'll likely be speaking to me again in a matter of minutes, actually. This was the earliest opportunity I had to contact you, and the first time I've required outside assistance for what I'm doing."

"If you say so. So what do you need Rogue and I for?"

"At the moment, I just need you to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Magma and Diplomat can stay there for a time to hold the fort. Then you'll have one of two missions. I'm currently tracking both the hackers and the Madrans down. As soon as I get leads for either, I would like your assistance in pursuing them and eventually bringing them down. The hackers are in flight and I'm still trying to get a read on the Madrans, but it shouldn't be long before I have something for you."

"Understood. Will you be joining us for this?"

"Depending on who and where, I might. For the time being, however, it's more prudent of me to stay where I am and pursue the Madrans. I'll keep you informed. Until then, you're free to carry on as you were... just be ready to leave as needed."

"Will do." Felix paused, glancing at Karst again before looking away and trying to hide the onset of his blush. "And thank you for allowing Rogue and I to work together on this."

Alex laughed. "It was a request from Diplomat. You can thank her."

"I'll be sure to. Gaia out."

Felix switched the phone off, and almost immediately felt Karst step up beside him, resting her head against his shoulder with a playful smirk. "You're such a sap, deep down. I wonder how many people realise under that mask of calm you always wear?"

"Probably not many. But what can I say? I've enjoyed the time off here. It's nice to get out of Prox while still being able to spend it in good company." Felix smiled.

"I feel the same. Oh well." Karst slipped her arm around his and gently nudged him forward, setting them walking towards the beach once more. "So what did he say to you? You seemed quite animated about it."

At that, he looked up at the sky, frowning. "He's in Alhafra right now, tracking down a few people who he thinks are particularly threatening. You and I will be moving out soon. We're to get ready to go on short notice, meaning I'll probably have to stop by and check on the boat after this walk."

"I can come with you for that, if you'd like..."

"Of course." He pet her arm affectionately. "Not sure of where we'll be sent, however... he plans to get back to us on that. We'll be hunting people down, though... Adepts, no less."

Karst paused, but then began to grin. "I see... I like the sound of this job, then. Have to make myself look better after being chased off last time. No matter. So what about the rest of the discussion?"

Felix tried to answer, but hesitated. His mind returned to what Alex had said about the storm in Imil. Somehow, he'd triggered that... but no Adept could create something quite that powerful. Somehow, the Lighthouses tied into that. Could they have been used to conjure the storm? If that was what they were capable of, it could be a very powerful weapon... but it didn't seem like it would be worth the investment if that was _all_ they were capable of. How did any of it tie in with Psynergy?

_There's something I haven't been told yet._

"At the moment, I don't think it's important. He just explained some of the situations going on regarding the Project and the world and everything else. It won't matter until he gives us the mission proper, though... so... let's just go enjoy ourselves for now. I'll fill you in tonight."

She nodded. "Alright, if that's what you want. Probably best not to have to deal with Alex until we're back to work, anyway."

"Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more."

Inwardly, though, he had his doubts. Something about the whole situation didn't feel right. There was nothing Felix wanted more right now than to help Prox out, if only so his friends might have a better life...

He was just starting to wonder if Alex was really capable of providing it for them, though.

_Is this really the right answer?_

…

The gates before Menardi parted with a grinding noise, and she drove the hired car through the now open driveway towards the entrance of the Tolbi Embassy.

It was a large building, at least four stories tall and stretching out to either side. It seemed almost like a waste of space really. Menardi had never been to an embassy until her first trip to Tolbi, where she'd stayed at the Proxian embassy, but it was absolutely dwarfed by this building here. She guessed it was natural – Prox wasn't that well liked in other parts of the world, whereas Tolbi and Lalivero had long shared a close relationship.

That didn't make it seem necessary to have, though. And that certainly didn't seem _fair_. What did they even need all that space for, anyway? Why take such a massive building just to house a few dignitaries? She didn't have the slightest idea of what went on here, and frankly, she didn't care. If not for Saturos being here with her, Menardi probably would have been insisting to Alex that he give her proper field work at sword point.

A man in a uniform waved at her, which brought her from her reverie. She noticed that those seemed to happen a lot more as of late, which only intensified her feelings of boredom and discontent with this assignment. Regardless, the uniformed man gestured towards a garage on the left side of the grounds. Menardi nodded to him and headed inside, parking the car at her earliest convenience.

She took a deep breath before unclipping her seat belt and stepping out. Alright. Showtime. Iodem had insisted that she joined him at the embassy as soon as possible, since there had been some headway in the negotiations between Tolbi and Lalivero. That meant that her assignment here was likely at a close.

It also meant that she'd now have to deliver on Alex's promise to Babi. How the hell was he possibly going to give the man eternal life?

Actually, better question. Menardi glanced around the indoor carpark, frowning. How the hell was she going to find Iodem in a building this size?

"Good morning, Lady Menardi. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice."

It took all of her willpower not to gasp as she span around to face the speaker, her gaze instantly meeting Iodem's eternally implacable expression. How the hell had he moved up to her so quietly?

"Um, not a problem. It's my duty to see this through, after all." She nodded, smoothing down her dress absently. No matter how many times Saturos could tell her that she looked good in it, the entire thing just seemed too formal and over the top. She'd be eager to get rid of it, and not just in the way Saturos wanted it.

Inwardly, Menardi sighed at that mental commentary. The events of the last couple of days really _were_ turning her into Karst. Joyous.

"I understand. Well, I'll try not to waste your time then. If you'll follow me, we'll move to a meeting room so we can discuss everything privately." Iodem turned on his heel and made his way towards the exit.

Menardi stepped into position behind him, taking the opportunity to mentally prepare herself. She was faintly aware of the small beam sword that was stashed in her sleeve... just in case. There was no guarantee that Tolbi would really uphold their end of the bargain, after all.

It wasn't as if she really needed a sword to fight with any more, honestly... but it paid to be prepared. The embassy was likely under heavy surveillance, so if she did need to fight for whatever reason, it would be best not to trigger an incident like in Madra.

Before her mind could wander off to the story Saturos had told her of that, she realised that they had left the carpark and were now moving down an embassy hallway. Several other people were in the building now, going about their business while completely ignoring Menardi... something she was quite happy to see.

It was hard to see the people when she was paying more attention to the building itself. Almost immediately, she was struck by the sheer ostentatiousness of it all. The place was built like an ancient nobleman's house, full of architectural beauty and lavish ornamentation on every surface. Wealthy kings had lived and died in lesser buildings than this.

What was the point of it all? Did Tolbi really need to flaunt itself like this so much? It was a rich nation, to be sure, but it just seemed like such a tremendous waste. This building could have been sold off and the proceeds used to better insulate a great number of Proxian houses against the incredibly harsh winters – though that was probably unnecessary, as she found her growing tolerance for cold quite useful – and help rebuild the economy that still languished after the war.

Alex's appearance in Prox and his sudden declaration rang out in her mind. A Lemurian man – one of Prox's most bitter enemies – stepping out of nowhere with a radical plan and a most bizarre kind of technology. He'd deliver everything they'd been lacking since the war, not to mention restore the balance of power across the world, in one swift and short plan... Project Psynergy.

Ahh... Alex. Absently, Menardi fumbled with her watch until she felt a faint click there. The communciation system she'd had built into it for just this occasion would now send a message to Alex. If he was available, she'd be notified...

The watch began to vibrate for a split second. Good, he was there. If this meeting unfurled as she'd expected, he'd more than likely have to take over talking for her...

Really, Alex needed to hire a better diplomat.

Eventually, Iodem lead her into a small room off the main hallway, closing the door as they entered. The room was, mercifully, less elaborate than the others Menardi had passed, but it was still built in a fairly rich style. The whole thing stank of waste... and it really begged the question as to why Tolbi hadn't already fielded enough funds and materials to finish their Lighthouse.

Within the room was a small table, which Iodem sat at and gestured for her to do the same. Beside that, there was very little there, except for a large television screen across the far wall. It was currently switched off, however, leaving the highly reflective resembling a one-way mirror.

Menardi frowned as she sat at the table. The whole thing felt suspiciously like an interrogation room... was she just imagining things? Or was Iodem trying to make her uneasy?

"Alright. This room is soundproof and..." Iodem paused. "Well, it's not free of bugs, but they belong to us and not to anyone else. Anything you'd like to say in here that you'd rather keep private will remain so."

"...you have the audacity to tell me that you have the room bugged and that I'm being recorded, but still insist that this conversation is completely private?" Menardi stared at his disbelievingly, before laughing quietly. "I admire your gall if nothing else, but that's ridiculous. Anything incriminating I say will just be held by you and either used as blackmail, or distributed to whoever is convenient and profitable for you."

Iodem cracked a faint smile. "Would you believe me if I said that the line worked on some diplomats?"

"If they're anything like some of the people working these jobs that I've met before, I would honestly not be surprised." She folded her arms. "So I'll just hold my tongue, thank you."

Somebody started laughing, but it was not Iodem. Menardi glanced around, then realised that the TV screen had turned on to reveal Babi's face. When he saw that she was meeting the screen, he winked at her and started to speak.

"Worry not, Lady Menardi. The only recording being taken right now is the one being transmitted to me, nothing more. I give you my word that no fragments of this meeting will leave this room or my room, in whole or in part, in any possible way, shape, or form."

_Yes, because your word is of any value whatsoever when you're speaking to a lowly Proxian._

Whatever the truth was, Menardi didn't really have a choice but to speak as they wished at this point, so she nodded. "Very well then."

"Let's get down to business, then." Iodem pulled a piece of paper from his breast pocket, unfolded it, and sat it down on the table between them. "This is a document signed by Mayor Faran of Lalivero to confirm the deal we have made. In exchange for additional manpower and resources towards the full completion of the Lighthouse – which is, incidentally, being named the Babi Lighthouse after today in recognition of this – Tolbi is to receive ownership of three small provinces currently in Lalivero's possession, located in and around the eastern Suhalla Desert. Does this all seem in order?"

Menardi retrieved the document and read over it carefully. It was exactly as Iodem had said, and she could see no clauses, paraphrases, or fine print that might suggest any kind of deceit.

"All seems in order to me," she said.

"Good. That means we've successfully handled our end of the bargain." Iodem sat back in his chair, glancing at Babi's screen for a split second. "Obviously, most of the resources and a good amount of the manpower is to come from Prox as soon as is reasonable, upon which we will happily relinquish the land in question to you with minimal supervision."

"Which just leaves," Babi added quietly, "the final part of the arrangement, if you remember."

"The personal promise to you," Menardi said with a nod. "Yes, I remember."

"Before that," Iodem interjected, "are you in a position to turn over the money to us yourself? Or are you simply a spokesperson?"

"For the moment, I'm just a spokesperson. I will, however, be able to get permission and the information required to sign any official documents for this." She shrugged. "And you'll probably need to speak to my supervisor within the Proxian leadership as soon as possible, since he can tell you more about those other matters as well."

"Very well. When do you think would be a good time to speak to them?"

Menardi smiled and made a show of inspecting her watch, subtly pressing a pair of buttons on it as she did so. "Is now good?"

"Now? I... suppose so..."

The look of mild confusion on Iodem's face was such a victory at this point in her relationship with the man that Menardi was very nearly tempted to stand up and start celebrating. Instead, she pressed one more button, which linked the watch's communicator to the speakers she'd had wired into her clothes. A moment later, she could hear the faint electrical buzz as they came online.

"Good morning, Blue, this is Menardi. Are you free to talk to Lord Babi at the moment?"

A moment later, Alex's voice answered from the speakers, although it was slightly distorted... both by speaker quality and by sound software that would make his voice slightly more difficult to discern in reality. "Of course, Menardi. Greetings, Lord Babi, it's a pleasure to speak to you at last."

Good, the system worked completely as they'd intended. Now Menardi just had to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

Babi's image hesitated before speaking. "A pleasure as well... Blue, is it? I suppose that's a code name." He paused. "Is he able to hear me if I speak like this?"

"I am, and it is. You'll have to forgive me, but what we're about to discuss is naturally an incredibly secret project within Prox's R&D facilities. Much of it is confidential, and that includes the real names and identities of anybody working on it. I can tell you, however, that I am highly placed within the organisation, to the point where I have been authorised to speak on behalf of the Proxian government in international matters where my projects are concerned."

Babi nodded, even though Alex couldn't see it. "Understandable, I'd imagine. Alright. I suppose the over the counter stuff is required first – are you able to grant your diplomat, Lady Menardi, the ability to sign a few financial documents on Prox's behalf in order to secure the Lighthouse funds from you?"

"Of course. She already has that permission – Menardi is one of our best and brightest, after all – but I suppose it can't be helped if you need to hear it from someone higher up."

Menardi had to force herself not to blush at that.

"By the same token, however, I trust you are capable of signing documents that will allow Prox discrete access to the lands around Suhalla that we've agreed upon?"

"Easily done. Iodem, can you see to that?"

"Of course, Lord Babi." Iodem reached into his breast pocket once again and retrieved more papers, handing one to Menardi before getting to work on writing and signing his own.

"Good. I'll be sure to forward Menardi a few more documents for your perusal regarding the structure of the Proxian workforce we'll send to assist the construction as soon as possible. That should be enough to cover all facets of that deal... so why don't we cut to the chase?"

"Yes, let's." Babi frowned. "Menardi here has demonstrated the curious ability to create and control fire. Apparently, this is something that is being experimented on quite heavily in Prox at the moment, which is why this particular land is one you've been eager to gain access to."

"That's correct. I trust she's passed on my personal offer to you, then?"

"She has... and as loathe as I am to feed you anything like this, I am most sincerely interested in that offer." As Babi spoke, Menardi was starting to notice just how old he really was. It almost looked like he was aging slightly every minute. No wonder he was so intrigued.

Of course, that might just have been due to how harrowing a conversation with Alex could be. She resisted the urge to smirk.

"Let me sum it up for you, then. The primary thing we're researching right now is human augmentation. Menardi and a select few others have been the recipient of these augments, hence the ability to create fire. This has yielded some interesting results in other fields, however, especially medicine."

There was a clinking sound through the speakers, as if somebody was tapping on glass.

"Hear that? That's a beaker filled with an experimental substance we're working on perfecting. We're working on making it producable and conducting additional tests to see if it does exactly as we want it to."

Menardi kept her face impassive as Alex said that... which was probably good, because she could see that Babi and Iodem were studying her for any signs of deceit. Well, there was deceit here... she knew full well that Alex was in Alhafra right now. He didn't actually have anything like what he was suggesting prepared.

Was he going to deceive Babi too? Or did he actually have something that could honestly extend a human's lifespan?

"And what do you want it to do? Or, rather, what does it actually do?"

"We want it to increase human lifespan and cure incurable ailments, naturally. What it actually does is very similar to that. The problem is, of course, that seeing whether or not it can actually extend a human lifespan is impossible with such a small timeframe of development. We think we're close, however... tests seem to indicate that cell regeneration increases dramatically, much like the effects of growth hormone, so they should be able to slow the aging process quite well. As for curing diseases, well, a cancer patient that volunteered for testing is in remission. Give me a little longer, and I think I'll have something to give you – for free, as part of this deal – for as long as you're willing to continue it."

Babi considered this for some time. "Side effects?"

"Increased appetite and frequent dehydration, as if the body suddenly needs more to keep it going. So far, though, we've seen side effects. Anything that might arise seems to be the kind of thing that the substance is designed to combat, and thus is negated before it even takes hold."

"So you claim to have solved the problems that have puzzled the medical industry for decades?"

Alex laughed. "You could say that. And you'd be getting a lifetime supply of the stuff for free before it ever goes public."

"Yes..." Babi's frown deepened. "That is, assuming I would take it."

"Lord Babi, this agreement has already been confirmed. Prox is supplying you with everything you need to see your Lighthouse constructed post haste, and you're supplying Prox with access to territories you recently acquired from Lalivero. It's all in writing and signed off, assuming Lady Menardi over there has done everything that's required of her."

"I have, Blue." Menardi smiled.

"So it's all done, then. This is an added bonus that you've agreed to. Refusal to accept the substance right now won't change anything. I'll keep on doing what it is that I do, and you'll continue life knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a mortal man. An elderly one, at that."

"Are you insulting me, _Blue_?" Babi glared at Menardi, but she continued to look impassive. It was much easier to maintain the expression when she didn't have to have any real part in the conversation.

"Not at all. I'm merely laying the facts on the table. You've expressed interest in my work, so I'm telling you exactly what it does. I assure you that I'm not trying to poison you in the slightest, and I can verify the effects – I am, after all, testing on myself." He chuckled. "You're not the only one who wants to live forever, Lord Babi."

Babi fell silent again, his face furrowed in conversation as he considered it all. Iodem was watching the screen now, too, looking as expressionless as ever.

Menardi knew what both of them were thinking, though. It was clear... Alex had won.

"...very well. How soon can you get me a sample of this substance?"

"I can have the first draught prepared and delivered to you personally within a fortnight, providing that nothing goes awry in my results. From then on, they'll continue to arrive every month from that point onward until you choose to end the arrangement. But that is exclusive from the Lighthouse and Suhalla province arrangement, you understand."

"Yes, I understand." Babi sighed. "Very well. Make it happen."

Menardi smiled at that. In the end, there was very little one could do to try and argue down the Lemurian, especially when he was offering you something you really wanted. But deep down, she wondered just how badly Babi had just been manipulated by Alex. There was no way the "substance" could possibly work as intended... or at least, not without some kind of unexpected consequence.

_If only you knew what kind of a devil you just made a deal with..._

...

Hama glanced at the mirror in her bathroom, adjusting the scarf she'd put on until it sat comfortably and still covered up the bruising on her neck. Eventually, she nodded to herself. That would have to do until the skin healed properly on its own.

She really didn't want to have to go out in public with marks like that... it might have drawn attention to her, and sooner or later that would get people asking questions. Going incognito was the aim for now.

Besides... she didn't want to look at it, either. It was a reminder of the battle of the night before, and the last thing she wanted was reminding of how powerless she felt. Not since training with her Master had she ever felt like that... and even then, being overpowered by him never saw her in danger, since he was merely teaching and demonstrating.

He'd never pinned her to the ground and strangled her half to death with Psynergy. That was a new and very unwelcome experience.

If not for the presence of her two apprentices – and there was no doubt that she considered Garet an apprentice now, too – then she'd likely be dead now. More than any time previously, Hama was quietly thankful for Garet's presence. He'd been a blessing to the entire anti-Proxian operation – he wasn't always the best or the brightest person for the job, but he was smart enough to contribute and offer good advice, as well as capable enough to be useful in a fight.

He was also just interesting enough to keep Feizhi's normally feisty and rebellious attitude focused on him rather than anything else, something which Hama would likely be eternally thankful for.

And all this without bringing up his status as an Adept. That only added to his value tenfold.

Satisfied with her scarf, Hama left the hotel room. The chill morning air greeted her – a good thing, really, since it meant she didn't have to make excuses for wearing the scarf. She could smell the sea salt in the breeze as she walked off towards the nearest beach. They'd picked a nice spot to stay at.

A shame that they would probably have to leave Alhafra in a hurry, now.

She could hear Garet and Feizhi a short time before she was able to see them. It was still early in the morning – only a couple of hours after sunrise – but despite any bruises they might have had from the battle the previous night, Feizhi had insisted that they try and keep a morning training regimen going.

Hama hadn't been so sure about how wise that would be. Garet had been pretty shaken up... he'd walked in silence and had returned to his room as soon as they'd arrived. It was all they'd been able to do to at least make sure he was okay.

Well... all Feizhi had been able to do, anyway.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" She'd asked, at his door. "If you need to talk about it – any of it – just knock, at any time. I'll listen."

Garet had paused, then nodded and given her a faint smile. "Thanks. I'll be fine, though... just need to sleep it off."

Feizhi had returned the smile, but hesitated. "Um... so... think you'll be up for training in the morning, then?"

He'd hesitated, but nodded again. "Yeah, I guess so. Can it at least wait until after sunrise this time, though?"

"No promises... but I'll see what I can do." She'd winked.

"Suppose I should have expected that." Garet rolled his eyes, but he hadn't seemed too unhappy about it. "Goodnight, then."

Hama had been standing back during the exchange, not wanting to get involved. She wasn't as old as many people had assumed – Feizhi included – but it seemed that there was still enough of a difference to make her apprentice really open up and relate to her about everything. She had no idea if Garet was any better about it, but she'd find out in due time.

As for the rest... well, Feizhi's interest was not difficult to read. One didn't have to be a Jupiter Adept to see that clearly. But that was something she'd have to deal with on her own.

Bringing herself back to the present, Hama followed the sound of Garet and Feizhi's voices along the beach. It only took a short time before they came into view, very close to the ocean's edge. At first glance, it looked as though Feizhi was being attacked... but as she watched, it became apparent that she was casually deflecting every strike Garet was throwing at her.

_She's getting so good. Able to read and deflect his moves as he does them... if she was able to use her Psynergy properly, nobody would ever be able to strike her._

Once again, Hama felt that she'd be intruding to step in, so she merely watched from a distance. Garet was clearly getting frustrated, and the smirk Feizhi was maintaining as she watched him doubtlessly helped fuel that sentiment.

Stepping forward to close the distance between them, Garet pulled his right arm back and readied a right hook, but then lashed out with a quick jab from his left before letting the right punch fly. Even with the feint, however, Feizhi was ready. She moved her head to the side to narrowly avoid the jab, before ducking beneath the haymaker. Given that the punch was made in frustration, Garet had overextended, allowing Feizhi to come up on the outside of his arm and catch his wrist.

Hama smirked, watching the rest of the move play out. Feizhi tugged on his arm tightly, pulling it over her shoulder, before stepping beside him and slipping her right leg around his ankle. Her free hand came up to secure his other shoulder, and her next move would have been to twist him downwards and sweep his leg out from under him...

Only she didn't. She held the pose, smirking infuriatingly at him mere inches from the side of his face.

Since it wasn't a difficult grip to break out of and was usually used just to set up a throw, Garet was easily able to twist his arm out of and step away, assuming a defensive posture. That posture was one of Feizhi's favourites, too... Hama wondered just how much she'd managed to teach him in so short a time.

"So, did you learn something from that?" Feizhi asked.

"You're too damn fast!" Garet replied, looking slightly despondent. "It's all well and good that you're teaching me stuff, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to hold a candle to you."

"It's all just practice. You're picking some things up pretty quickly for someone who only just started this, you know. Have you done any combat training before?"

"Just the police qualifications I did as soon as I got out of high school... and the stuff I did to become a security guard before that happened." He shrugged. "Nothing quite like being apprenticed to a martial arts master for a decade."

"Well, they've taught you a lot of stuff right. But your biggest problem is that you get frustrated and let your adrenalin control you. You need to control it." Feizhi released him and took a step back. "Now in a normal fight you wouldn't do what I just did. Holding back and waiting is never a good thing... in a serious fight, you want to avoid an attack and then exploit any opening you can to be as devastating as possible. Repeat that until either you get the chance to flee, or until you can force them to submission."

"Why show off like that, then?"

"Because that's what you want to do ideally. Sometimes it doesn't always come up, though. Here..." She stepped back in front of him, inadvertently between Hama and Garet. "You kept attacking and I kept blocking for, what, a minute? That was mostly to demonstrate that you _can_ keep doing that if you require. It's not ideal, but you can do it. Plus, I'm also trying to demonstrate that it's entirely possible to read moves ahead of time. You can be a little predictable... better than most, but that's probably the first thing we want to work on."

Garet nodded. "I suppose you're right. So what would yo-" He stopped mid sentence, frowning and glancing over Feizhi's shoulder.

He was meeting Hama's gaze, so she gave him a friendly smile and a wave. He returned both which made Feizhi turn around.

"...how long has she been watching us?" She asked. Hama could see that she was blushing slightly.

"I don't know, I only just noticed. She seems to have that habit, though."

"How else am I supposed to keep an eye on my two charges?" She stood and crossed the beach to them, studying them both. Feizhi had quickly lapsed into a relaxed and readied posture, complete with attentive expression, that had been drilled into her over the years together... and even now, she was able to mask any feelings or misgivings she might have had.

Garet, on the other hand, looked as though he'd slept for maybe ten minutes before Feizhi had dragged him out here. Despite this, he seemed focused and was actually still smiling. Hama had been concerned for him the previous night, yet he seemed to be dealing with the events surprisingly well. Still, she'd have to keep an eye on him.

_Assuming I'm even capable of that now..._

"Regardless, I thought I'd check up on you both. Of course, if I'm interrupting this, I can come back a little later."

"It's fine," Feizhi said. She smiled, but it looked forced. "We were just training."

"Besides that, I've been curious about what we can do now." Garet folded his arms. "We came here to find that certain woman and see if we could help her. We found her, but now she's fled along with her accomplice. That kind of leaves us without a purpose and with fewer leads than before."

Hama nodded. "That thought crossed my mind when I was considering our options, too. Shall we reconvene in a hotel room for a war council?"

"Yeah, because we're really being followed," Feizhi said with exasperation.

"We could be. Our mysterious attacker yesterday disappeared without a trace, and it doesn't seem likely that he's just dead. We know nothing about him except that he's very dangerous, and he could be anywhere." Garet shrugged. "And he did suggest that he was part of Project Psynergy, so who knows how many Proxians he might have at his disposal?"

"Garet is right, Feizhi. This isn't paranoia, this is a precaution." She turned and headed back up the beach. "But since I interrupted you, I'll let you sort things out and clean up. Meet up in my hotel room in fifteen minutes?"

"We'll be there," Feizhi said with some reluctance.

Smiling to herself, Hama returned to her hotel room, sitting at her table and contemplating. In truth, the extra time would be something she could use as well to compose herself.

Okay... options. Originally, she'd intended to take their little group to Imil and investigate the Proxian presence there, perhaps tracing them back to their origins.

After all, she had an Adept contact there. They'd probably be investigating the situation as well and would be able to share information. Perhaps they'd even be able to help train Garet and Feizhi, since he'd been much more skilled at Psynergy than she and her Master ever had been.

Then again, it had been many years since she'd been in touch with him... was he still even in Imil these days? She'd have to find out.

Regardless, heading to Imil was just one option. They had no way to track Jenna or... was it Isaac? Isaac. They had no means of tracking down either of them until they surfaced, but if they were travelling by boat, it might have been a little while before they did. And given that their faces had now been revealed to at least two agents of Project Psynergy, staying in one place for too long was likely not the best option.

But there was another one... Hama rubbed her neck at the thought. They could try and hunt down the Lemurian they'd encountered.

That would be harder, since they had no leads beyond what he looked like and a potential wound he might have had from Garet's last Psynergy attack. The odds were that he was still in Alhafra, but he could have easily fled very quickly – it was a big city, and it wouldn't be a simple matter to track him if they didn't even have a name.

Besides... Hama was afraid of him. She didn't want to go anywhere near him.

She glanced at the mirror, seeing her scarf once more, and suppressed a sigh as she looked at the table instead. It wasn't an easy thing to admit a flaw like that, but she couldn't deny her cowardice in the matter.

Garet had probably slept sounder than she had. Every time she'd slipped too close to sleep, Hama had started to feel like she couldn't breathe... and that brought the image of the smirking Lemurian back to her head, along with the choking feeling. Suddenly she was wide awake and staring around her room fearfully again.

He hadn't even fought her directly. He'd off handedly brought her to her knees and almost killed her with one single application of Psynergy, while still casually talking to Garet and Feizhi. Had they not attacked him and broken his focus, she'd probably be dead right now... and by the time she'd managed to get herself up and into combat, he'd already been chased off.

It boggled her mind just how powerful he was an Adept. She could control lightning and wind to an extent, but she doubted she'd even have been able to push that mist aside with her strongest breeze.

To be fair, though... she was never the greatest Adept. Her Master had never really had the chance to teach her much before his death, and she'd only experimented with it gradually. Even so, it didn't seem like she could muster the power that some Adepts did. Even Garet looked as though he'd quickly be able to overpower her given a little focus.

No, Hama did not want to encounter that Lemurian again. But as an Adept by birthright, she felt compelled to do her part in policing Psynergy across the world, and that meant stopping Project Psynergy... even if she died in the process.

That was not a fate that had to befall Feizhi or Garet, though.

_If it came down to another fight with the Lemurian, I don't think I could protect them._

Was it really fair, then, for her to keep them involved in what amounted to her private crusade? Yes, they geniunely seemed to want to help, but how much of that was sincere desire? Feizhi had accompanied her for years now, but at this point in her life she was more than capable of doing her own thing and making her own decisions without Hama's presence. Garet, too, was easily capable of taking care of himself, not to mention that he had a family he could return to.

That was the third option she'd considered for herself. She would go to Imil and continue the chase... but only after making sure that Garet and Feizhi were far and away removed from the fighting.

Adepts or not, could she honestly shield the pair from the full brunt of Prox's wrath, should any of Project Psynergy be as serious a situation as it seemed?

Hama didn't want to think about it. But... it was something she couldn't avoid considering. After all... she absently rubbed her neck yet again, feeling the scarf that covered her bruises.

_If I can't protect them... then I don't want to involve them._

Before she could consider the possibility further, however, her door opened. She started, looking up to be greeted by Feizhi's bemused expression.

"Sorry to catch you daydreaming, but you did ask us to come out here." Her apprentice stepped in, with Garet following behind her.

"Don't worry about it, I was just considering our options." Hama shrugged and gestured for them to sit on the edge of the bed, which they did. "I only have a couple, but I'm curious as to what you two think."

Feizhi shrugged. "I'm not sure there's much of a point to staying in Alhafra, now. We came for Jenna, but Jenna's gone. So our best bet from there is to go and dig up clues in Imil."

"That doesn't mean we couldn't stay in Alhafra for a while, though." Garet frowned. "As dangerous as he is, I don't think I'd mind tracking him down and getting answers from him. He knows stuff about Project Psynergy, that much is obvious."

"But would we be able to get it out of him?" Feizhi countered. "Just because he knows it, doesn't mean he'll talk. We'd have to subdue him first, and even then I don't think he'd be willing to cooperate. And that's assuming we can subdue him a second time."

"I know what you mean, but I'm just bringing it up as an alternative. That's the only real lead that we have... going to Imil and floundering around for a while doesn't seem like it'd get us anywhere." He glanced at Hama. "Unless you have an idea?"

She hesitated at this. Maybe they just hadn't considered the alternative of not doing anything, but both of them seemed very intent on dealing with Project Psynergy. So was it right of her to abandon them just because she wanted to keep them safe? Should she keep her options open? What should she say?

"Hama?" Feizhi frowned, looking concerned. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"Mmm, a little. Don't worry, though." Hama studied them both for a moment. "I suppose I have a couple of things I could suggest, but the ultimate choices boil down to either searching Imil, or searching Alhafra." She paused. "Or... perhaps Lalivero."

_Better to keep my options open..._

"Lalivero?" Garet and Feizhi asked in perfect unison.

"Yes. It's a city on the northeast coast of Gondowan, mostly autonomous. It doesn't have anything directly to do with the Proxians, as far as I know... but I'm bringing it up because of all the Adepts I knew of in the world before the Project came into it, the largest concentration of them lived quietly in Lalivero." Hama pursed her lips. "Again, it's not a direct connection, but... all three of us are Adepts in some capacity, now. We could probably stand to meet up with them and maybe get some training for you both, if not recruit them to the cause. I'm sure they'd have reasons to stop Psynergy being used inappropriately."

"Huh." Garet considered that. "Direct or not, having more allies might not be a bad idea."

"Hmm... I guess I have to agree on this. Didn't you say that you had contacts elsewhere though, Hama? Like in Imil?"

"Yes," Hama admitted. "I know of one or two people that might be able to help us if we did go there. But again, there weren't as many in Imil as there were in Lalivero, last I checked. And Lalivero is more out of the way of Proxian influence, so we could rest and recuperate in a comparatively safe place while searching for assistance."

Lies, all of them. There were no Adepts in Lalivero, but it was a place that the Proxians were likely to avoid completely. Garet and Feizhi would be safe there if she really did choose to go ahead with this plan...

"Maybe we should consider that, then." Garet shrugged. "Until we're not just clutching at straws, I wouldn't mind talking to other Adepts and seeing what I could learn."

"I guess... if I've got these powers, I might as well learn to use them, too. I suppose I agree with Garet on that one."

"Alright. Lalivero, then?"

They both nodded.

"Okay." Hama was starting to feel even more tired all of a sudden, and it wasn't just her lack of sleep causing it. "I'll get to making the necessary arrangements, then. You two can go back to your training if you'd like, it won't be that interesting."

Feizhi was standing and out the door in a split second, her hand firmly around Garet's wrist as she dragged him with him. "Just let me know when you need us!"

"Hey, wait a second!"

Garet's protests were cut short as they slipped out into the hallway, closing Hama's hotel room door on the way. Once they were gone, she let out a long sigh.

Did she really want to go through with this...?

…

She could hear voices. They were a short distance away and trying to sound hushed, but there was no mistaking the anger and indignation in their tone. Normally, the problems and arguments of others on the street meant nothing to Feizhi, except... she was pretty certain that one of the speakers was Garet.

Frowning, she advanced towards the voices, glancing around the sun-drenched street and wondering why so few people were out today. On such a day like today, you'd think this city would be packed...

...wait. What city? This wasn't Alhafra. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around. No... the way the city was set up and the buildings designed looked completely different to what she'd seen in Osenia so far.

But... Feizhi couldn't remember leaving Alhafra. She'd spent most of the day training with Garet, as well as working with Hama to arrange transport to Lalivero. It had been a pleasant day – even relaxing – compared to everything else she'd been through as of late.

The day hadn't even been over... she was still on the beach with Garet. She continued to move towards the sound of the argument, frowning as she mulled it over. Yes... she'd been with Garet, and they'd taken a break from their practice. Feizhi had wanted to talk to him about things during that break, only... had it ever happened?

No. Suddenly she'd been here, at a different place in a different time...

Realisation dawned on her. A vision. She was having another vision.

Yet... this was so different from the other visions. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking down at herself. Her clothing was different, and she was dressed for a warmer climate again. She took an experimental step forward, nodding to herself.

This was the first time she'd been in any of her visions. Previously, anything she'd seen had happened elsewhere and wouldn't have affected her personally had they not gone searching for the fight in the mist. Unconsciously, she winced at the recollection of the beating she'd taken then.

But if she was now lucid during her visions... then what did that mean? Was her power starting to manifest differently? Or...

Or did this vision concern her directly?

Feizhi frowned, fighting back a sudden chilling fear. Garet. Where was Garet? She rushed towards where she'd heard the voices earlier, but stopped in her tracks as the day was punctuated by a loud noise that she'd grown intimately familiar with.

It was a pistol shot.

The fear intensified as she raced around the corner towards the noise, but stopped once more as soon as she did. All she could do from there was... stare.

Barely feet away from her was Garet, slumped over in a pool of blood. His eyes were blank, and... he wasn't moving. Behind him, she could vaguely see two figures sprinting away, but she was barely able to focus on them. She was barely able to notice the sudden headache that had sprung up. All she could do was stare at Garet's prone body.

_No... no! This can't happen! I... THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!_

"Garet!" Feizhi cried loudly as she dragged herself into a sitting position. She didn't get far, however, before a sharp pain in her head made her flop backwards again, clutching her forehead. She'd struck something.

"Ow! What? I'm right here!" Garet's voice.

She opened her eyes and looked up. The first thing she noticed was that she was staring up at the sky... which meant that she was lying on the ground. Absently, she rubbed her hand against the ground, feeling sand. Sighing, she then noticed that Garet was sitting beside her, rubbing his head furiously. At that, she finally noticed the pain in her own skull and did similarly, sitting up a little more carefully this time.

"Ugh... what happened?"

"You passed out," Garet said, glancing at her with a frown. "I wasn't able to catch you this time, but you were only out for a couple of seconds. By the time I got to you, you called out my name and then smacked skulls with me."

"Oh... sorry." Feizhi frowned. Suddenly, details of the vision swam back into her mind. Once more she could see Garet lying there, motionless... it was probably the most horrible thing she could recall seeing.

Not that she hadn't seen things like that before, but... none of them had been Garet. She clutched her knees to her chest, gritting her teeth. That was something she didn't ever want to see again.

And if she had her way... she never would.

"Did you have another vision?" Garet asked, sitting beside her. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Feizhi shook her head. "I saw an impossibility."

"Huh? I wouldn't be so quick to say that... I mean, Psynergy is capable of some pretty impossible stuff. Are you sure it-"

"Yes." Feizhi met his gaze, staring at him and trying to remain calm. His eyes were so pretty when they weren't staring blankly into infinity... "I saw a vision of something that absolutely will not happen, because _I refuse to let it happen._"

She'd seen a glimpse of the future? Well, if that was the case, she'd just have to change the future...

…

**Author's Notes:** So here's the lowdown – I aim to complete Project Psynergy by the end of 2011. As long as this story exists and continues to draw my attention and time away from other writing projects I maintain, I don't think I'll ever get to a point where I'm happy with my progress. Given the timeframe that this chapter was produced in, I think it's doable... it's a long shot, but it's doable. So let's see what happens.

Special thanks to Shadow Milotic for beta reading one of the scenes that I wasn't sure about, and a shoutout to Joker's Specter, who (as always) has been instrumental as a sounding board for my ideas. In fact, his story that really inspired me to push Project Psynergy further, that being Shades of Conspiracy, has now been reuploaded to FF Net. If you've made it this far with this story, you _owe _it to yourself to read that one. Hopefully it'll keep you going until I push another chapter or two out in March.

Happy travels until then!


	27. Relocation

**Author's Notes:** Well, it didn't take long before that desire to finish this year was shot down in a hurry. Between constant illness, other writing projects, and a lot of work to complete, this chapter took much longer than I hoped. As usual, I'm not entirely thrilled with how it came out either, but it should get the job done. Perhaps I'll just try shooting for one update a month and see how we go. Regardless, let's have at this one, shall we?

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 22 – Relocation**

"Pretty..."

Sheba sat beside one of the windows on their boat, staring outside. Directly before them, perched on a narrow gap of land between the ocean and a series of tall cliff faces, was the city of Champa. It was an interesting city – nobody had ever expected it to grow to the size that it had become, so space quickly became a rarity. To deal with that problem, the Champans had built into and up the cliff faces, burying much of the newer city buildings into the stone. Now that it was midnight, those cliffs were lit up with the lights of the people within, painting an otherworldly scene before them.

Ivan found the whole situation amusing. Sheba was a tough – albeit troubled – young woman... but even she seemed to have a soft spot for beautiful sights.

They were pulling into the harbour now, still doggedly following the ship that had intercepted them earlier. Captain Hinoa had spoken to them a short time before and instructed them on where to dock, so Ivan was following the directions carefully. There were a lot of ships in the water, and he'd almost bumped into one on more than one occasion.

"Hard to imagine we're in so much danger," Sheba commented idly, turning to face Ivan. "How bad do you think it's going to be?"

"No clue. Once we explain ourselves, I get the feeling that the Champans will see reason and let us go without incident. But if we can convince them to assist us, so much the better." He shrugged. "That'll be the hard part."

"I hope you're right." She stood, stretching her arms and yawning. "Either way, I hope we can get an actual bed to sleep in tonight."

"I hear you."

As Ivan brought the boat into the dock, a couple of people on the nearby pier moved over and began to tie it off for them. At the same time, the radio switched on.

"Ivan, this is Hinoa. I called ahead to Captain Briggs, and he's en route now to speak to you now. He'll figure out what to do with you afterwards as needed. Just disembark from your vessel and stand on the docks, and he'll find you."

"Very much appreciated, Captain. Is there any advice you can offer?"

Hinoa laughed. "Sure. Be on your best behaviour, because despite whatever you might think about your situation, you're standing on the razor's edge here. Act too overboard and Briggs will probably shoot you and salvage your ship."

Ivan grimaced. "I'll keep that in mind. A pleasure working with you."

"I'm sure. Hinoa out."

Sheba stood up and moved towards the door, glancing outside to make sure that the moorings were done before turning back to him. "Still feeling lucky?"

"No. But I make my own luck." Ivan gathered up his laptop bag and pulled it over his shoulder, making sure his pistol was at the ready before moving to join Sheba. If things did turn hostile, he seriously doubted their chances of survival, let alone escape... but that didn't mean he'd give them the satisfaction of going down easily. It was better to be prepared.

Besides, he still had his Psynergy. That was still an unknown factor at this time, but it might be able to shift the balance in the event of an emergency.

He moved to the side of the boat and jumped down onto the dock. He landed easily and was about to help Sheba down when somebody flung themselves at him, very nearly throwing him to the ground had he not caught his balance in time.

An attack already? Ivan's first reactions were to defend himself, but he quickly stopped when he realised that his "attacker" had light blue hair. Could it be...?

"Ivan! You're alive!" The voice put an end to all doubt and all desire to fight, especially when he realised that he was being hugged and not assaulted. Mia was here? What had happened in his absence?

Mia released him after a moment, then belatedly seemed to realise just what had happened, blushing faintly. "Sorry... I got carried away." Then she brightened again. "But you're really here! I was worried when you never came back to the Elementalists, and then Captain Briggs received the call that a stolen Proxian ship was sailing in to Champa... who'd have thought it was you?"

"Heh, yeah... wow, the Elementalists feels like something that happened years ago." Ivan paused before shaking his head. "The boat part is a long story. I'm sure it's about as long as yours, though... how did you get here? I heard from the news report that the Elementalists had been destroyed."

"Ah, that... I was rescued by a Lemurian that was working with Kraden." She gestured over her shoulder. "He's with Briggs, so you'll probably get to meet him now."

"Friend of yours?" Sheba asked, stepping up beside Ivan. She took a moment to study Mia, her face impassive. Mia returned the gaze with a similar inspection. The whole thing left the young man feeling slightly... unsettled.

"Something like that. Um, Mia, this is Sheba, a travelling partner of sorts that I picked up along the way. Sheba, this is Mia. She was a Proxian hostage that I rescued."

Sheba extended her hand, which Mia shook. "Charmed."

"Likewise... Sheba, though?" The Imilian frowned. "That sounds like the name of Piers' boat..."

Before anybody could say anything more, another man jogged up to them hurriedly. This must have been the Lemurian that Mia mentioned, Ivan noted. He was tall and well built, with long blue hair that was adorned by a somewhat outdated Lemurian headband. The man paid absolutely no attention to Ivan, however, as he was instantly transfixed by Sheba. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Sheba! I don't believe it... what are you doing here? _How_ are you here?"

Sheba blinked a few times, taking a slow step back as if preparing to flee. "Uh... in the boat. Obviously." She gestured at the boat behind them. "But... um, am I supposed to know you?"

Piers stared at her in surprise. "I... we were imprisoned in a Proxian cell together. We tried to escape, but you were shot and insisted that I leave you behind. I got away after that and wasn't able to get back to find you... yet, here you are."

She frowned again. "I... see. Well, not that I'm doubting what you're saying, but I've got memory loss." She tapped her temple. "I've got a name, a burning desire for revenge, and if Ivan here is to be believed, I'm a ticking time bomb of lightningy death. I don't recall anything else, so... if you happen to know more about me, I'd love to talk it over sometime and see if it rings any bells. Just excuse me if I don't know you. Sorry."

Ivan frowned at that. The words were delivered in a comparatively flat tone to her usual speaking voice. She almost sounded disinterested. Was she already that jaded about things...?

"That's terrible." Piers studied Sheba for a moment, looking faintly crestfallen. "Memory loss... I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get you out of there. If there's anything I can do to help you, I'd be happy to do so."

"Well..." Sheba pondered. "You could start by sparing Ivan and I any retribution we might face at the hands of Champa for having to steal a Proxian boat."

"Easily fixed," came yet another new voice from behind the two blue-haired individuals. Another person stepped into Ivan's view, this one much more obviously a local. This must have been Captain Briggs. "If Piers, Mia, and Kraden can vouch for you then I'm sure you're all just fine."

At the mention of the third name, Ivan almost rolled his eyes. Of course. If everyone else had gathered in Champa, no doubt Kraden had too...

"I can vouch for Ivan, certainly." Sure enough, Kraden stepped up beside Briggs, giving Ivan a faint smile and a polite nod. "I see the Proxians weren't able to keep hold of you for too long."

"Apparently not." Ivan smirked. "I'd apologise for not returning from my mission in good time, but given that the Elementalists are effectively dismantled now, I don't think it matters too much."

"Yes indeed." Kraden frowned. "I take it that you've seen the news report that Jenna broadcasted, then?"

"I did." He laughed. "I was so proud of her, you have no idea."

Mia laughed at that, and even Kraden cracked a smile. Briggs, however, stepped up to the group and cleared his throat.

"Alright. Don't mean to be rude and break up the reacquainting, but I'd like to get the official stuff over with quickly if I might be so kind." He looked around, received no objections, then turned his attention completely to Ivan and Sheba. "Okay. First things first, why a Proxian boat?"

"We stole it from Imil Harbour," Sheba answered. "There were a lot of the things there."

"There was a large amount of Proxian activity in Imil when we left... that would be the day after the big storm there. It seems like Prox committed a decent amount of humanitarian aid to the city, so they had an excess of boats in the harbour." Ivan shrugged. "Since it's likely that they accosted the ones we'd used earlier, it seemed only fair."

"Alright. Any tracking devices on it?"

"A few, all of which I've removed and disabled to the best of my ability. I can't completely guarantee that it's clean, but I did everything I could to make it so. You might want to have some of your people go over it."

"I'll send for somebody ASAP, then. Did you want to keep the boat, or are you happy to turn it over to us?"

"That depends largely on what will happen after I convene with these people accompanying you," Ivan answered with a grin. "Odds are that I'll need to keep it, or failing that, exchange it for something similar. As nice a city as I'm sure Champa is, I don't expect to be lingering for too long."

"Noted. Last question: Where were you heading before we intercepted you?"

"Alhafra. I wanted to try and find Jenna and anybody helping her to see if we could pool our resources together, but with the current situation, I think that might have to wait."

"Sounds fine to me." Briggs nodded. "That's enough to satisfy me. Welcome to Champa. If you need anything, just let me know. Don't cause trouble, don't start fights unless you give me a chance to bet on them first, and that should be it."

"I like this city already," Sheba noted.

"Very much appreciated, Captain." Ivan shook his hand. "Feel free to go over the boat as you see fit. Just don't plant any tracking devices, because I'll have to destroy them as soon as I leave."

Briggs smirked. "Got it. I'll leave you lot be, then."

The Champan made a gesture akin to tipping his hat, despite the fact that he wasn't wearing one, before spinning on his heel and leaving the group alone. Kraden took that as his cue to start speaking again.

"As pleased as I am to see you alive and well, Ivan, the Elementalists are more or less nothing but a memory right now. A few stragglers might still remain – Jenna is likely among them – but I've not been able to communicate with any of them."

"Understandable." Ivan folded his arms, glancing at between the assembled group. "So where does that leave us? Apparently you're affiliated with one another..."

Piers cleared his throat. "That would be my doing. Until recently I was a full-fledged Lemurian Agent, but now I'm working independently for the same agenda. Kraden, having worked for Lemuria for some time before, was an acquaintance of mine. To sum it up loosely, I was captured by Prox once this whole affair started, escaped after some time, and then sought him out to assist... just in time to see the Elementalists destroyed."

"Piers saved me," Mia added. "We managed to fend off the Proxian attackers with our Psynergy before fleeing the site, so I felt the least I could do was try and help him get back at them."

"So now we're effectively an independent anti-Proxian group," Piers concluded. Kraden grunted at that, but the Lemurian paid him no heed.

Ivan didn't answer immediately, staring between the three of them. "Wait... Mia having Psynergy is something I suspected, but you as well? And you worked for Lemuria, Kraden?"

"Yes. The Elementalists were secretly being funded by them." Kraden sighed. "It was the only way we'd be able to find out information on Prox and Project Psynergy without breaking any international laws or risking an early outbreak of hostilities."

"If I might interrupt?" Sheba asked, stepping into the middle of the group. "I don't know about the rest of you, but it's late, and Ivan and I just got into Champa. We obviously have a lot to discuss, but do you think it could wait for the morning?"

Piers frowned and nodded. "Of course."

"I guess we'll have to delay our departure, then." Mia glanced at Piers. "We were planning to leave in the morning, right?"

"We were, but I'd rather swap information here than go out to chase loose threads and rumours." The Lemurian turned to Ivan and Sheba. "There's space where we're staying to let you rest and recuperate if you'd like. Then, in the morning, we can sit down and swap stories. I'm sure we each have information on Project Psynergy that we could all benefit from hearing. Sound fair?"

Ivan nodded. He didn't want to say it out loud, but the mere mention of getting some rest was threatening to make him yawn. "Sounds fair. Lead the way, then."

The group made their way off the docks, heading in towards Champa proper. As they did, Mia fell in step beside Ivan, flashing him a quick smile. "It's good to see you again. I was told that you were on a mission and stayed behind to oversee it...

"That was probably somebody sparing your feelings." Ivan smiled back. "Now I just have some people I desire to hurt very, very badly."

"I hope you'll let me come along with you when that happens," she said quietly. "I have a score to settle of my own..."

"Of course. I'm already contemplating my next moves..."

...

"Don't you think this is a little too early to be catching a plane?" Garet muttered as he stifled a yawn, looking around the airport concourse. Through the windows and doors nearby, he could see that it wasn't even dawn yet. Despite this, there were still a considerable amount of people around that were checking in to their flights, giving the whole place an air of busyness.

"Nonsense." Hama smirked as she retrieved their boarding passes from a machine. "This is probably one of the best times to catch a plane. It's too early for there to be too many people looking out for us, yet enough people catching the first flights of the day for business or what not that we can hide amongst them and not look too conspicuous." She glanced over at him. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do," he replied. "I still just think it's kind of strange, though."

"Think how you feel right now, getting out of bed this early. Now think how any Proxians who are out there keeping an eye on us feel. They're probably yawning too much to pay close attention."

"Makes sense." Garet fell silent for a moment before laughing suddenly, glancing at Feizhi. "Hear that? Hama's being careful about being watched at the airport. You can stop mocking me for being paranoid now."

Feizhi didn't answer. She was standing a short distance away, staring out at the early morning sky.

He frowned. That wasn't like her. Normally, she'd have some kind of quick comeback or other playful response ready for him, but... after she'd collapsed on the beach yesterday, Feizhi had been relatively subdued for the rest of the evening. Had that not happened, Garet might have passed off her behaviour as simple exhaustion, but now he assumed that there had to be more to it.

She'd had another vision, one that she'd thus far been completely unwilling to share with him. He also doubted that Hama even knew she'd had one if Feizhi was being this secretive even to him. And she'd only said one thing that gave him any clues...

"_I saw a vision of something that absolutely will not happen, because I refuse to let it happen."_

Whatever she'd seen in those few seconds had been enough to spook her entirely. She'd stopped their training session right there and had simply withdrawn into her room for the rest of the evening, only surfacing when Hama had let her know of her plan to depart early the next morning, and again when they actually did leave.

Garet didn't really know Feizhi as well as he thought he did. She'd only been in his life for a few weeks at best, but despite that she'd been an integral presence there for much of that time. As much as he sometimes got irritated by her constant jibes, he found himself more irritated _without_ them. Her insight and enthusiasm gave him a reason to try and enjoy his situation, despite the chaos of world events. Her eerie silence, in contrast, did nothing except make him want to run back to Madra and hide.

He glanced back towards Hama. "Hama, when does our flight leave?"

"Boarding won't start for another hour," she answered, frowning at the tickets she held before returning her attention to him.

"In that case, are you alright dealing with the luggage check-in?"

Hama gave him a knowing smile and nodded. "Of course. Do what you need to do." She paused, then stepped up to him and handed him two tickets. "And here, this is for you and Feizhi. Just in case."

Nodding back, Garet took the tickets and gave them a cursory glance before turning and stepping up to Feizhi. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, you."

Feizhi practically jumped from her skin as she span around to face him, her expression incredibly dangerous for a split second before she realised who it was. "Oh... sorry. Is it time to go?"

"Not yet. But if you were paying attention you'd already know that, instead of just tuning Hama and I out all morning." His words came out harsher than he'd intended, so Garet paused and tried to smooth over his expression with a look of concern and worry instead. "Something's been on your mind since yesterday, and I don't think it's healthy for any of us if you keep it bottled up. I think we should talk."

She hesitated, absently adjusting her headband while she struggled to find words. "I don't... think that's the best idea."

"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" Garet paused. "_Will_ I do something wrong? With all this seeing the future stuff, I'd hate to think I'm being punished for something I haven't done yet..."

"No! No, no, no. It's nothing like that. I just..." Feizhi sighed, glancing out the windows again. "It's not anything you've done. Or will do. It's... what I saw really scared me, Garet. I barely slept a wink last night because I couldn't stop seeing it in my mind. I don't want you to have to worry about it... especially not if I can stop it from ever happening and make it a moot point anyway."

"So you want to stop the future from happening all on your own, then? Without my help?" He folded his arms. "Come on, Feizhi. After everything we've been through together, don't you think you can trust me?"

She looked into his eyes, frowning. "I could ask you the same thing. Don't you trust me to fix this?"

"Maybe. But trusting me to _not_ help you or look out for you is going to get you disappointed." He grinned. "So come on. We're a team, here."

Garet hoped that that would be enough to convince her, but instead, she folded her arms and sighed, lowering her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, shaking her head. Frustrated, he sighed and looked away, focusing his attention outside again. It looked like the sky was beginning to brighten... dawn would be upon them any minute now.

"You died, Garet."

He froze at the words. "Huh?"

"You wanted to know what I saw, so that's it. That's what's haunted me since yesterday." Feizhi gave a bitter laugh. "You could almost say that I got to witness my greatest nightmare unfold in such clear detail, you'd think I was there. Couple that with the knowledge that what I saw is apparently destined to happen, and you get the answer to my behaviour."

Garet turned to her, trying to keep his face neutral. He could tell that he'd failed just by looking at her changing expression. "How? What happened?"

"We were in a city somewhere, I don't know when. I could hear you talking to somebody a little way away, and then there was a gunshot. I ran towards it, and I saw..." Her voice quavered and stopped, but he'd heard enough.

The threat of dying had been in the back of his mind from the first moment he'd fought the Proxian in Madra, all the way to the present. Whether he liked it or not, Garet had gotten involved in a conspiracy spanning much of the world, and so at any moment his life could be forfeit just to silence the secrets he'd learnt. This was something he'd come to terms with, and had done his best to try and ignore. If he thought positively, the entire trip was a chance to be away from his family while he saw the world, all the while in the good company of Feizhi and Hama. Even after fighting the Lemurian Adept two days prior, that threat of death had still felt distant.

This was different. Perhaps it was just a vision, but Hama trusted the visions enough to use them as a basis for their investigations. And so far, they hadn't been disappointed... both of them had happened, even if the full details and their relevance hadn't clicked until after the events.

If Feizhi had a vision of him dying... Garet shivered, unable to consider it. No way. Surely there had to be a mistake. And yet... given everything that they'd gone through so far, it couldn't be that hard to imagine...

No. He couldn't just bow down and accept his end based on something like this. There had to be a way around it... there had to be a solution. He wasn't one to just believe in fate or destiny.

"Did you actually see me die?" Garet asked quietly. "As in... beyond a shadow of a doubt?"

Feizhi stared at him for a moment, frowning. "I... I don't know. You were face down in a big pool of blood... not moving, not breathing. No sign of life."

"But was I actually dead? Absolutely one hundred percent certain?"

She hesitated, then slowly shook her head. "No... I woke up before I could really check your body for a pulse or a sign of life. But... given what I saw, it's such a slim chance-"

"It's a chance," Garet said flatly. "So until I'm actually dead and buried, we can't assume anything like that is really going to happen. And there's no telling it'll even happen soon – it could be months down the track, which means there's plenty of time to prepare or perhaps change the future."

Slowly, Feizhi's expression began to brighten a little, and she nodded quickly. "Yeah... Okay. You're right. I can try and deal with this. _We_ can deal with this."

"Exactly." He smiled. "So cheer up, alright? It's not the same when you're being despondent and not talking to me."

She smirked at him. "Oh? You mean to say you miss my snide comments that always seem to get you on the defensive? You miss my cheerful mocking banter and my constant attempts to make myself look better than you?"

"Not in the slightest." He shook his head. "I just miss having a friend with me on this crazy adventure, is all."

At that, Feizhi started to laugh quietly, but quickly looked away from him towards the gradually brightening sky. The movement wasn't fast enough to obscure the light blush that was creeping across her face, however.

Satisfied, Garet looked outside as well. Perhaps he was going to be killed soon... perhaps not. It wasn't worth worrying too much about it, now. If nothing else, it had given him the chance to be the one leading the direction of their conversations for once. When Feizhi didn't have the chance to mercilessly tease him, he was able to get a much more direct grasp of her thoughts, and that just seemed to add to his suspicions regarding her.

_Her greatest nightmare is to watch me die? If that doesn't mean she has a crush on me, colour me surprised..._

Regardless of that train of thought, he pushed any fear he had aside. If he was to die, so be it... but he wasn't going to go into every situation terrified that it might happen like that at any given time. It'd happen when it happened, and all he could do was live on until that point.

Feizhi turned to him again suddenly, frowning.

"Hey Garet, where did Hama go?"

"Huh? Oh..." Garet turned to where Hama had been before he'd left her. He was about to point in the direction of the luggage check-in, but it was plainly obvious at a glance that Hama wasn't there. Looking around the rest of the concourse, he failed to see any sign of her. "I don't see her anywhere. Maybe she went ahead?"

She frowned at that. "I'm not sure. Am I the only one who feels this isn't right...?"

"What do you mean by that? Garet blinked. "Are you suggesting she might have sold us out or something?"

"Not quite that. Except..." Feizhi shook her head. "Do you have the plane tickets?"

He nodded and held out hers for her. "Yeah, Hama passed them to me before I came to talk to you."

"That worries me even more." She took the ticket, then took his arm as well. "I have a really bad feeling about this. Come on, we need to find her..."

Garet nodded and followed quickly after Feizhi. They did a quick check of the concourse before proceeding through security to the airport gates. Beyond security was a food court and a few shops for last minute entertainment, but nowhere within any of it could they find Hama.

"This is wrong," Feizhi muttered as they passed through the food court. "She wouldn't have just disappeared like that without telling us unless something is wrong."

"Yeah... still, she probably just went ahead to the departure gate." Garet shrugged, trying to sound more convinced than he felt. "Come on, let's check it out. We might be worrying for nothing."

Nodding, the pair rushed through the terminal until they reached their gate. Once again, it was plainly obvious to Garet from the moment they arrived that Hama wasn't there. Hardly anyone was, in fact, but that was no surprise if their flight wasn't to leave for another hour. Alhafra airport was large enough to not require doubling up of gates at this time of the morning.

"Not here either." Feizhi looked over the gate before turning to him, a look of worry creasing her face. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, but we have to relax and just work this out." Garet frowned.

"No, I think there's more to it." She hesitated. "Hama wasn't in my vision. I don't know why I can't get that out of my mind, but... I can't. I think it's relevant, somehow."

He wasn't sure how to answer that, so Garet simply frowned harder. A sudden idea came to him, and he stepped past her towards the gate. Near the closed door that would lead out to the plane was a small desk with a woman sitting behind it, tapping away at a computer. As he approached, she looked up and offered him a smile.

"Good morning, sir. I don't suppose your name is Garet?"

He hesitated at that, before nodding. "Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"

"Just because you fit the description I was given. You're with the young lady there, right? A Miss Feizhi?"

"Yes..."

"Excellent. Somebody left a letter here for you a few minutes ago, saying you'd be along shortly." She smiled at him again and slid a sealed envelope across the desk to him. "There you go. The woman who left it was a bit older than you and had purple hair, in case you were wondering. They didn't give a name, but said that you'd know who they were."

Garet nodded slowly, forcing a smile. "Okay... thanks a lot." He eyed the envelope for a moment before walking back to Feizhi. Wordlessly, he passed her the envelope and gestured for her to sit down on the empty seats nearby. She did so, while he took the seat across from her.

"From Hama?" she asked, to which he nodded. Taking a deep breath, she tore open the envelope and retrieved the letter from within. He could see her eyes move as she read the letter, and her face very quickly became more and more despondent as she did so. By the time she was halfway through the page, her expression was starting to take on something closer to rage.

"How bad is it?" Garet asked quietly. He already knew the answer before she said anything.

"She's left us behind." She was gritting her teeth now, tossing the letter towards him and balling her hands into fists. "The bitch left us behind!"

He picked up the letter, but had to hesitate before reading it as he was overcome by a sudden wave of exhaustion. Hama had left them... after everything they'd gone through, she was going somewhere without them and leaving them to fend for herself. Why would she have done that? Could the fight they'd had at the Harbour shock her that bad...?

Knowing that he was unlikely to get his answers any other way, Garet started to read.

_I'm sorry that this letter will be the first you hear of this, but at this point I don't have much choice. What I said yesterday was a lie – there aren't any Adepts that I know of within Lalivero. The reason I've sent you there is to protect you both, and that seems like one of the better and safer places for you to lie low within._

_By the time you read this, I would already have rushed to another gate and boarded my flight on the last call. I'm not saying where I'm going, and you won't find me in time to stop me. Once I get there, I'll be in touch with you just to make sure you're okay and report my situation. Other than that, everything else we were planning remains the same – stick to that flight and go to Lalivero. At the bottom of the letter are details for a hotel and a small bank account for you to subsist off._

_I don't expect either of you to forgive me, but that's alright. Just knowing that you're safe is all the forgiveness I need. After what happened the other night at the harbour, I realised just how fragile our lives are, and I don't know if I could forgive myself if either of you got hurt or killed pursuing this insanity. I don't know if I can protect you any longer, and given that I value you both as if you were my own siblings or even children, I can't bear to have you face this kind of pressure for now. If you must live dangerous lives, I'd rather it be as police officers or martial artists than trying to stop some crazy conspiracy and dying that way. It's my duty as an Adept to see this all through, but that's not responsibilities you need to bear._

_I don't know what will happen now, but again, I'll be in touch. Consider this a vacation and try to have fun – I know you're in good company, after all. Look out for each other. I'll see you again soon, I promise._

_-Hama_

The rest of the letter was a list of addresses and details as Hama had outlined. Numbly, Garet wondered just how much effort it must have taken Hama to get all this ready and organised in such a short time without letting them know...

He folded the letter and handed it back to Feizhi, who was now staring at him intently. Her eyes were threatening to fill with tears. Really, he could understand why... to him, Hama was a supervisor and a friend, but she was so much more to Feizhi. She'd been her Master for years, travelling the world together and teaching everything she could to her. The way Feizhi spoke of Hama was at times frustrated or teasing, but almost always reverential. This was a betrayal of the highest sort.

As numb as he felt about it all, he could only imagine what Feizhi was feeling now.

"I guess that's it, then," he said quietly. "It's over. She wants us out of this investigation so that we can go hide out somewhere quiet and safe."

"That's not what this is supposed to be about," Feizhi answered, wiping her eyes roughly. "We're a team! We're friends! Hama is... Hama is my Master. She's supposed to be..." Her hands were balled into fists once more, and she sighed. "This isn't supposed to be how things go!"

"It won't be," Garet said quickly, almost without even realising it. "Hama can say or do whatever she wants, but if she's looking out for us and putting herself in danger, I won't have any of it. We'll just have to take matters into our own hands and look into the Project that way. In the meantime, we'll just have to convince her to come back safely so we can pick up where we left off."

It took him a moment to process his own words, looking down at the floor as he contemplated. Here was an opportunity for a respite from all the craziness that had overcome him ever since he'd become a police officer and beyond. Here was an opportunity to disappear somewhere pleasant, just him and Feizhi, where they didn't have to worry about Project Psynergy and could live a peaceful life for a while.

But... they would worry about Project Psynergy, wouldn't they? No matter how he thought about it, Garet knew that there was no way they could simply put aside what they knew. For better or worse, they were all involved in this now.

Besides... if he didn't follow this up, he might not ever be able to track down Isaac and Jenna again. If he didn't follow this up, Hama might end up in greater danger alone. If he didn't follow this up, the vision of his death might end up coming true regardless. And if he didn't follow this up, Feizhi...

He hesitated, looking up at Feizhi's eyes again. They were still sad and slightly angry... but now, there was an element of determination there too.

_If I don't follow this, I don't have any reason to remain with Feizhi._

Much to his irritation, _that_ was the thing that worried him the most out of all those possibilities.

"Let's do what she says, for now. Let's catch the flight, end up in Lalivero, take the day off and see what kind of finances we've been left with. Then we'll see what we can do with that and either go about joining or retrieving Hama, or dealing with it in our own way." Garet smiled, and was surprised to find that it wasn't forced in the slightest. "And cheer up, okay? We can deal with this."

Slowly, Feizhi's lips turned up into a smile. "I don't know how you can stay positive at a time like this, Garet... as much as this betrayal hurts, I can't help but agree with your plans. Sitting here and breaking things won't do anything."

"Well... I'm glad you do." He leaned back in his chair, slumping into it. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm still so positive either. I've been told I'm to die soon in a very grisly manner, I've more or less been fired, and the sun is barely up. Quite the day, so far. We've come this far, though... might as well keep on going."

She smiled again, though this time she looked hesitant. "You're a special person, Garet. I don't know what I'd do on my own, so... I'm really glad you're here."

Garet hesitated this time. Was she blushing again...?

Before he could say anything in reply, Feizhi stood up and crossed the short distance to his seat, leaning over and bringing her face to his. He was barely able to react or brace himself, yet she paused there for a moment before planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Her blush deepening, she withdrew and turned away quickly, looking back towards the shops they'd passed earlier.

"I... I think I'm going to get something for breakfast." She glanced back at him for a moment, and then started to walk away. He could definitely notice a spring in her step that wasn't there earlier, however.

Well. That pretty much confirmed his suspicions of the last several days. Even with that revelation, however, Garet's mind swam. How had that all happened? Why now of all times, and why with him of all people? Surely that was a terrible idea, and she couldn't possibly be serious about the whole thing...

Absently, he realised that his hand was rubbing the cheek she'd kissed, touching the spot as if trying to remember the feeling. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. Maybe she wasn't serious, but he apparently was.

"I think I'm okay with this," he said quietly to himself as he stood up to follow after her. "Wait up, Feizhi!"

...

_Found you._

Alex slowly glanced away from his book, looking across the airport floor to the next gate over. The size, figure, and purple hair all fitted the picture of one of the Adepts he'd encountered the other night. He watched as inconspicuously as possible while she spoke to the gate attendant. Finally, she stepped into the gate door and onto the ramp heading towards the plane, dropping out of sight

He waited for a few moments, returning to his book in the interim while he mentally counted down a minute. As soon as that was done, he returned the book to his pocket and wandered over to that gate.

The display board showed that boarding had now closed... apparently the woman had been the last passenger. They'd be leaving soon. Alex peered at the ultimate destination, smiling to himself.

Imil. Perfect.

Satisfied, he turned on his heel and walked away from the gates. He took a moment to make sure that his appearance was still satisfactorily altered, only to once again have to resist flinching when he realised that his hair was now blonde. The things he did in the line of duty... at least he'd not had to cut it, instead opting to tie it into a ponytail and wear a hat over the top to better draw attention away from that feature.

It was a fact that he'd probably never openly reveal ever again, but Alex was extremely vain when it came to his hair. It had taken far more willpower than he'd like to admit to even take peroxide to it, but even thinking about scissors was too much. This would have to make do.

He shook his head and reached for his phone, bringing himself back to his mission. So far, he knew where the Jupiter Adept woman was heading, and it wouldn't be difficult at all to make sure she was greeted properly upon arrival.

But she hadn't been the only one in that encounter. There was still the matter of the martial artist and the Mars Adept. Especially the Mars Adept... Alex could still feel his burn wound underneath his shirt. They'd all have a similar fate in the end, but first he had to account for why they weren't all travelling together.

Perhaps they were staggering their travel arrangements to throw off any pursuers who were looking for a group of three? It was entirely possible. He'd just have to keep an eye on the other flights heading to Imil.

Finding an unoccupied bench, Alex sat down and dialled a number. It didn't take long for the call to connect.

"Sir." Agatio's voice came through calmly and surprisingly clearly given the hour.

"Good morning. I'm amazed you're even awake at this time."

"To tell you the truth... I haven't slept yet." The Proxian laughed. "I'll be doing that very shortly, though. I'm just overseeing the final tests and installations. Once that's done, Mercury should be ready. All we're missing is the final piece that you have in your possession."

Alex whistled. "I'm impressed. You've done quite a bit in that short time frame."

"Thank you, sir. To be fair, though, much of the work was already done by the time I returned here."

"You still handled it admirably, nonetheless. I'll be heading to your location soon enough to inspect your handiwork. I might even just jump on a plane now and join you."

"I would welcome it, but that seems ahead of any schedules I was aware of, even for potential testing. To what will I owe the pleasure of such a visit?"

"A few of the leftovers from Rogue's romp around Indra have been tailed back to my location. I ran into them and had a brief chat with them, but we got into an argument and things turned sour. I heard that at least one of them was on their way to you, however, so I figured I should visit as well and try to apologise. You understand?"

"Of course, sir." Even through the phone, Alex could tell that Agatio was grinning. "It would be a shame for such a misunderstanding to go uncorrected. I'll make sure I keep tabs on them for you if you give me something to look out for. In the meantime, what about the other two?"

"I'm not sure. I'm looking into that first. Either way, I'll be joining you there soon enough... if need be, I can have somebody else pass on my message to the other two if they've slipped out of town."

"Understood. Be sure to let me know when you're due for arrival, and I'll have somebody come to meet you if you require it."

"Very much appreciated. I'll talk to you soon enough." Alex switched off the phone and returned it to his pocket, feeling a faint sense of accomplishment.

Mercury Lighthouse was ready. That was two. That only left Venus Lighthouse, which would probably take the longest. Lastly would be Mars Lighthouse, but given that the perfect site for its construction was only a short way out of Prox, that wouldn't prove challenging to arrange at all. Things were moving along nicely.

He paused. So why would the rogue Adept be heading to Imil, then? He'd done nothing to alert them of the existence of Mercury Lighthouse, just yet. Perhaps they suspected something about the storm... that was entirely possible, but that was why he'd centred the storm on Imil in the first place. Even with Mercury Lighthouse in the area, the increased Proxian activity in that region meant that anybody looking into it could be dealt with quickly and easily.

But that meant he'd have to select a different target for use in the Mercury Lighthouse tests. There was no sense drawing any more attention to Imil now... it had served its purpose as a distraction.

Of course, he could have used one of the hidden functions of the Lighthouse to reveal the rogue...

Alex stopped himself there, shaking his head. No. Now was not the time to reveal any of that. The Lighthouses were simply to be used to trigger the dormant Psynergy in Stage One "participants", nothing more. As long as the Proxians thought that's all they were capable of for now, so much the better.

Sighing, Alex was about to stand and do another circuit of the airport, but quickly stopped at the sound of familiar voices. He adjusted his hat quickly to make sure his face wasn't as visible, just in time to see a pair of people walk past him.

A very familiar pair... one that he'd fought with hand to hand and very nearly been killed by. He had to keep himself from putting hand to his burn wound as he watched the two walk past, thankfully paying absolutely no attention to him or anyone else around them.

So the trio appeared to have separated. Interesting. But why? Were they being cautious out of the fear of being discovered? Or was it something else? Well, no sense questioning... best to keep an eye on them.

He waited for them to move almost to the edge of his vision, then stood and began to walk after them. They were heading towards the departure gates where he'd just come from... yet he knew that the older woman's plane had closed boarding, so they wouldn't be getting on that.

Instead, the pair stopped at another gate, speaking to the receptionist there before sitting down to read something. Interestingly enough, the girl looked angry. Alex smiled faintly at that. Had they been abandoned, perhaps? Or had they planned something only to have it stopped? The latter would be particularly nice... anything that they were doing to hinder Project Psynergy was something that he would like to see dismantled, after all.

Alex found a nice spot to perch at another nearby departure gate and resumed reading his book, glancing up and down out of the corner of his eye. The two were talking amongst themselves for a minute, then...

...Huh. Well that was an awkward thing to watch. Absently, he filed away that point of information for the future. If those two were particularly close, then Alex would certainly enjoy inflicting great anguish on the girl while the Mars Adept watched.

Oh yes... his retribution would certainly not be quick. He wasn't often a cruel man, but by the time he was through, they would know just how Alex had risen through the ranks of the Lemurian Navy in such a short time.

He pulled himself from that momentary lapse and glanced up, only to see the two leaving. Standing once again, he moved over to the gate they'd left, noting the flight's destination.

Lalivero... interesting. That was potentially dangerous, and especially so with their missing third member apparently flying to Imil. Had they stumbled on a clue that he'd left behind...? Or was it mere coincidence that they all seemed to be flying towards the locations of Lighthouses?

If they weren't troublesome before, they were certainly making themselves risky to leave around. This needed more observation.

Waiting until they were near the edge of his vision again, Alex started to wander after them, never letting his gaze fall too far from them. He needed to see where their final destination was. If it turned out that they really were going to Lalivero, then he'd just have to make another phone call to a different set of operatives before the day was out.

No doubt Felix and Karst would appreciate the exercise.

…

"Are we there yet?" Karst asked, sprawling out in her seat dejectedly.

Felix glanced around the airport terminal to make sure nobody was paying them too much attention before looking back at her. "We're not going anywhere." He sighed, but gave her a good-natured smile. "If you're that bored of waiting, there's a cafe back the way we came, you know. I don't mind keeping a lookout if you want to get something."

She sighed and straightened up. "No, it's fine. I'm just annoyed that we're doing nothing except waiting. There's so much more we could be doing."

"In what way? Working, or just exploring Lalivero?"

"Either or. Given the company I'm keeping, I'm not exactly fussed." She shrugged. "I don't mind going back to active duty, I really don't... but if it means all we have to do is wait for a couple of people to land and then tail them, I'd rather be getting back into the thick of things."

Felix nodded. "I understand."

"Or, of course, I'd prefer to just be able to go and explore the interesting things to do in this city. With you. Like we have been." Karst flashed him a smile, which he returned.

"We'll just have to suffer through it for the greater good, I suppose. The plane should be landing any moment, anyway."

Almost as soon as he spoke the words, the nearby arrivals notice board flickered, and the status of the flight from Alhafra changed to "Landed".

"There, see? What did I tell you?"

Karst sighed with relief. "Good. Any longer and I probably would have napped on your shoulder."

"Not that I'd mind that in the slightest, but I kind of feel guilty that you're so bored. I could have handled it without you if you'd rather have been elsewhere. It's just a simple scouting job, after all."

Looking at Karst's face, the lie almost stuck in Felix's throat. He tried to keep it from being noticeable in his expression. He was already conflicted enough by telling it without bringing her loyalties into play...

"Be that as it may, I'd probably just find it dull without you around." The Proxian shrugged, flashing him a grin. "Might as well enjoy your company while I still have it... there's no telling when Alex will send us off to different corners of Weyard."

"Yeah, true..."

Felix smiled at her reassuringly before looking towards the airport gate that the plane was arriving at. He could see it through a window, moving towards the building and slowly getting into position to dispense its passengers. Somewhere on that plane were two of the survivors of the Madra incident... people who, despite their age being similar to his own, had fought both Saturos and Alex (who apparently had given himself Psynergy too) to a standstill before fleeing.

And now Alex wanted Felix and Karst to murder them.

"_They'll be arriving on the morning flight from Madra,"_ Felix could still hear Alex saying from their earlier phone call. _"Saturos will be too distinct and Menardi needs to maintain her image, so take Karst with you to the airport. Follow them as soon as they land, and then when the opportunity arises, silence them both."_

The order had made Felix's blood run cold. Murder? Outright murder, in cold blood if he was able to? He knew he'd offered to help Prox in whatever capacity he could, but... suddenly it all seemed to be asking too much.

He wasn't like the Proxians... he hadn't been raised as a soldier, fully intending to grow up and fight to kill. Yes, he'd trained for it for a couple of years now, and he'd fully intended to help out in fights if he could... but somehow, that felt different. An enemy that knew he was there and was trying to get in his way was a completely different situation from what he was being asked to do.

Frowning, Felix glanced at Karst out of the corner of his eye. She was leaning back in her chair, staring at the ceiling idly and tapping her foot. Karst was his friend, his companion... his interesting... and she was a pretty young woman, with many alluring traits such as her infectious good cheer and playfulness. But she'd also been training in the ways of combat for more years than Felix still possessed memories for. Her cheerful personality masked a vicious fighter, one that could easily overpower him if he let his guard down.

Dammit. Why was he having all these doubts now? What was he so afraid of? He knew that sooner or later, he'd end up fighting and perhaps killing people so that Prox – and his friends within it, the only people he really knew now – could prosper. No matter how many times he asked himself that, however, Felix couldn't think of anything except that this mission seemed off.

_They were just police officers doing their job when they encountered Saturos, and then they had the bad luck of encountering Alex. Adepts or no, are they really as guilty as he says they are? Maybe there's another way..._

Alex had contacted Felix in order to pass the details of the mission, so Karst was still in the dark. When it came time to go to the airport and meet them... Felix had been unable to tell her the truth. As far as she knew, their mission was just to follow the pair and mark where they went so that they could be dealt with later.

_Yes. As long as we know where they are, I can deal with them later once I have a better idea of what needs to be done. Alex doesn't have to know..._

Wishful thinking, that's all that was. Felix's frown deepened. Alex had an uncanny way of knowing these sorts of things. If he didn't kill them, then Alex would probably find out in short order, meaning Felix would face the brunt of his wrath. And that would doubtless not end in his favor. He'd probably not be trusted to carry out any further missions and be sent back to Prox in disgrace, away from Saturos, Karst, Menardi...

"Here come the passengers," Karst said quietly, forcing Felix's attention back to the present. "We're looking for two people about our age, one a male with spiky red hair and the other a female with purple hair and a headband, right?"

"That's right. Then we just need to follow them."

"Got it."

As people began to disembark from the plane and disperse into the airport, Felix's discomfort only grew. He shifted restlessly in his seat. Something about this mission was making him incredibly uneasy, but the more he pondered it, the less he thought that it was exclusively because of what he'd been asked to do. Something else was disturbing him.

A young man with spiky red hair. Why did that thought set off alarm bells in his mind?

Karst tapped his shoulder, gesturing towards the gate with a flick of her head. "There. Think that's them?"

Felix followed her gaze, his eyes resting on a young woman. Something in the way she carried herself reminded him of Karst... at ease and cheerful, but still poised and ready for anything. She looked to be of east Angaran appearance, and her purple hair was held back by a headband. Yes, that was almost certainly the one that Alex wanted them to kill.

She looked so innocent, though...

The woman waited for a few seconds by the gate until another person stepped up to join her. The most striking thing about him was how much taller he was than her, a fact accentuated even further by his very spiky hair. That would be his targets, then.

Felix stared at them for a few seconds before focusing entirely on the man, forgetting completely the need to remain as incognito as possible. His heart began to beat faster in his chest, and he could feel himself start to sweat. He forced himself to calm down, but it seemed like such a pointless attempt. What was wrong with him...?

Then, finally, the penny dropped.

"Karst... I know that man." His voice came out barely more than a murmur, the words springing to his lips almost unbidden.

"Huh? How so?" Karst glanced at him, then started to frown. "Wait, hold on. You mean you know him from before your time in Prox?"

"Yes, exactly. I've seen him before, but... I don't remember where, or when, or how." He frowned, folding his arms and trying to get his heart rate back under control. "I just know him, and I can't help but shake the feeling that he was important in the past."

Her frown deepened as she glanced between Felix and their targets. The pair were starting to leave the gate, heading towards the security checkpoints and ultimately the exit.

"Then... perhaps you should ask them? They won't know you're with Prox if you go and question him now. It doesn't bother me."

Felix glanced at Karst. She met his gaze, her expression one of worry and concern. Her words seemed incredibly genuine, and that alone seemed to go a long way to easing his discomfort.

"I... I don't know. That doesn't feel like a good idea." Suddenly, he felt guilty about lying to her about the nature of their mission. Perhaps he should have told her and asked for her opinions or advice on the matter... if she honestly cared for him, then perhaps she'd understand and see things his way.

Then again, maybe she wouldn't. That brought up the possibility that she'd happily go out and murder people, and that was something he didn't want to dwell on.

"Well... if not, then we have to follow them anyway." Karst stood, offering her hand to him. "Come on, we don't want to lose them."

Felix nodded, taking her hand and standing. Together, they started moving after the pair of Madrans, keeping as close as they could without being too obvious about it.

Whether he liked it or not, Felix knew, he was going to have to confront them sooner or later. But would he be doing that as an enemy, or as a friend?

…

**Author's Notes: **Mmm... no matter how I adjust things, I still think this is probably one of my weakest chapters in a while. Cest la vie, I suppose... I'll just hope that the next one comes out more to my liking. See you in May if all goes according to plan. Kudos as ever to Ulta, Shadow Milotic, and Insularity for beta reading this chapter! Also, join the Temple of Kraden if you haven't already!


	28. Introspection

**Author's Notes:** This is not a drill. This is an actual update. You are not imagining this. This is actually happening. Please do not adjust your monitors, and please withhold any indignant pitchforks regarding the year and a half wait until the end of the chapter. Thank you. ~

**PROJECT PSYNERGY**

**Chapter 23 – Introspection**

Garet turned the corner of the Laliveran street and then leaned against the wall there casually, quickly making himself comfortable and preparing to carry out their plan. He glanced down the road, noting the small cafe a few buildings down that they'd scoped out earlier from their hotel room. A somewhat distinctive young woman with purple hair was sitting at a table there, sipping from a mug and eying him casually. He winked in that direction, then turned towards the street corner and waited.

The flight to Lalivero had been uneventful and they'd arrived in the city without a hitch. It had been a simple matter to get a taxi ride to the hotel Hama had specified, and the original plan had been to get the keys to their room, drop their bags off, and then work out how best to get back into the investigation. Like all good plans, however, it didn't last long.

"We were followed here," Feizhi had said quietly as they walked into reception. "Don't look, but there's a car that just parked in front of the hotel. It was behind us the whole way."

Garet had raised an eyebrow at her, fighting the urge to look that way. No good would come of making any tails wary. "This is a pretty close hotel to the airport... are you sure it's not just a coincidence?"

"It could be, but... I just have a bad feeling is all." She frowned, but that quickly became a smirk. "And before you say it, yes, you're still the paranoid one. I actually have a reason to be worried."

Ah, yes... that vision. He still dared not to worry or think about any of those implications, and instead tried to think of more reasonable ways to deal with things. "Did you see who they were?"

"Not really, but there are at least two of them. They followed us out of the terminal, got into a car, and pulled up near the taxi rank until we left in one of them. Now they're here." Feizhi shrugged. "Which means either Hama posted somebody to keep an eye on us... or the Proxians have found us already."

"Hama thought Lalivero was supposed to be safe, though. Surely there couldn't be many of them here!" Garet frowned.

"Hama's not here." Despite being more cheerful and responsive than she'd been earlier this morning, Feizhi's mood still turned dark at the mention of her Master, and Garet didn't blame her for that sentiment. "Hostile or not, we need to figure out their intentions as soon as we can."

"Good idea. So how will we do that?"

They'd devised a plan while checking in and moving their bags. They had left the hotel within ten minutes of arriving, walking out the front door of the building and making sure they had been seen. They were only a couple of blocks away, still close enough to see their hotel. More importantly, they were in a place that they'd been able to see from their hotel room and thus plan accordingly.

It was a simple plan: go for a walk, split up shortly before reaching the assigned point so that Feizhi could set up and observe nearby, and then Garet would catch their follower and politely ask them to stop. Of course, that was the best case scenario, so Garet had both pistol and Psynergy ready to go, just in case. Feizhi also had a gun, so if worst came to worst, one hand gesture would be enough to end the interrogation quite handily.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Hopefully Garet would be able to talk down their follower. Hopefully they weren't hostile to begin with and it was all just some friendly misunderstanding. Whatever happened, though, he didn't dare doubt Feizhi's conviction that she could stop her vision from occurring.

What choice did he have, after all? He swallowed, trying to ignore how dry his mouth was.

Perhaps twenty seconds after he'd turned the corner, a young man stepped into vision, practically bumping right into Garet. He stopped barely a metre away, meeting Garet's gaze and hesitating instantly.

"Good morning," Garet said calmly, pulling back the edge of his jacket to reveal his holstered pistol. "We need to talk."

The hesitation fell away from the other man's expression, replaced by a mask of complete calm. "Yes... we do."

Garet opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat as he studied the man. It couldn't be... he'd only just encountered Isaac and Jenna a couple of days ago after years of no contact, so how could it be possible that he'd find him too? It seemed like an unimaginably low chance, yet there was no denying the man's identity – long brown hair, slightly handsome features, a very calm and collected presence about him, and a few small features that marked him as the sibling of the hacker that had been on TV days ago. There was no question.

All the people that had been important to him in his earlier years were suddenly resurfacing, and all of them seemed to have gotten themselves involved in some pretty crazy world affairs. If there was a god, Garet mused, he was being a serious dick right now.

He looked over Felix for a few more moments, making absolutely sure that this wasn't some kind of coincidence. Assuming it wasn't, the man had grown up somewhat and picked up a slightly more weathered look in the last three years. Felix had always been calm and quiet, but now he seemed almost to draw that around him like a personal shield, keeping everything hidden... yet looking absolutely ready for what might occur. The most telling thing, however, was the slightest hint of recognition in his face. They definitely knew one another.

Things hadn't gone well when he'd tried to speak to Isaac, but this time Felix had been following him. Perhaps things might go better this time, as long as he approached it right...

"You've been following me for a while now, and you haven't been alone. Where's your friend? Are they close by?"

It was the kind of thing that somebody might want to know in this kind of situation, but Garet gave Felix an imploring look to suggest the question he hadn't sound aloud – _is it safe to talk?_

"They're close, but they won't get involved unless things get unpleasant." He shrugged. "I'm guessing the same is true of your companion?"

"That's right. So, why are you following me... Felix?"

His mouth turned into a slight frown, a small crack in his calm facade. "So I was right... I do recognise you. You know who I am?"

"Yes, I know you very well. Our families were the best of friends for years. We grew up together." Garet hesitated, recalling the things that Isaac had said. "Only... you don't remember any of it, do you? I'll bet you got amnesia sometime about three years ago."

The frown on Felix's face deepened. "How do you know that?"

"Does the name Isaac mean anything to you?"

Felix paused, looking at the ground. "Isaac... yes, it does." He met his gaze again. "Is that your name?"

Garet facepalmed, groaning. "No, it's not. Isaac is a mutual friend from our childhood. I guessed that you have amnesia because he has it too, and your family was with his the last anyone knew. As for me, I'm Garet. Sound familiar?"

"Incredibly so. Tall, spiky red hair, energetic... it certainly feels like something I should know. Except... I don't." He sighed. "I was hoping it might all come back..."

"Well, there's more I could tell you. For example, we both grew up in a quiet little Angaran town called Vale, at the foot of the Mount Aleph volcano. Three years ago the volcano erupted, and our families decided to leave for other parts of the world instead of remain and rebuild. That was the last my family heard of yours, though we did intend to keep in touch. We were good friends, you see... you, me, a guy my age called Isaac... and your younger sister, a girl ca-"

"Jenna!" Felix took a step back, looking as though he'd been slapped. "No... no, dammit... I remember that I told my parents that I'd look after her, that nothing bad would happen..."

Garet hesitated again before taking a step towards him, holding up a hand warily. "Take it easy Felix... I was your friend, remember? I'm here to help, so don't freak out on me."

Felix took a deep breath, leaning against the wall for a moment and pressing a hand to his temple as though to steady himself. He closed his eyes, then nodded and opened them again. "There's still a lot of blanks, but everything you said sounds true. Jenna... do you know where she is?"

"No, I don't, but I've been trying to find her. I think she's still with Isaac, and I met him a couple of days ago in Alhafra, which is how I guessed about the memory problems. He didn't remember me either, so all things considered, I don't think it'd be a stretch to say she's an amnesiac as well. But... I think they're in trouble, though."

Felix stared at him for a second, before closing his eyes and putting a hand to his temple. He stayed silent for a few seconds, apparently struggling against whatever mental blocks had lodged in his memories.

The silence seemed to awaken a sense of urgency in Garet's mind, and he had to force himself not to groan at his own absentmindedness. This was Felix alright... but he'd also been following him for some reason. If it had just been out of recognition and curiosity, he probably wouldn't have come alone, and if he wasn't alone... then who was with him? And what were they doing? He needed to know what was going on before he could safely call Felix a friend again.

At that, the brown-haired man opened his eyes, twitching slightly. His hand remained at his temple, but now he was rubbing it as if to ease a headache. "Dammit. It's really no use..."

"Still can't remember much?" Garet frowned. Despite his better judgement, this man had been his friend years ago – he needed to help him, dangerous or no.

Felix hesitated and inched back. "Wait, stop. Don't move towards me. She might think you're being hostile."

"She? Your companion?"

"Yes. She's sworn not to get involved if she doesn't have to, but she is protective, and there's more that I need to tell you." Felix took a deep breath and drew his calmness back around him. "I know enough about who you are now to make a decision on this, so I'm going to be honest. You didn't stop me at this street corner because you recognise me... you stopped me because I was following you suspiciously and you wanted to find out why, correct?"

"Yes..."

"Well, it's a simple answer: you were at Madra not that long ago. You saw things you shouldn't have and you got involved in something much bigger than either of us. And now the person I work for wants you to forget whatever you might have learnt there... permanently."

Garet's gut went cold, and he forced himself to not look suspicious while he controlled his fear. It didn't take a genius to figure out who in the world would want to kill them.

"You're working with the the Proxians," he said quietly. "I'll bet that's why your companion isn't here – seeing a Proxian would just make me suspicious. You're planning to kill us!"

"That was my order, but I decided not to do it already. The fact that I know you from my old life only reinforces that decision." Felix's voice was still deadly calm, but there was strength underneath that tone. "I woke up in Prox with no memory, Garet. They gave me life, they gave me a place, and they treated me extremely well and comfortably. I was happy to repay the favour and make myself useful to them, and as far as I care, it's practically home. I have no reason not to help them and work for them in this... but that doesn't change the fact that I am nobody's assassin. I don't want to hurt you or your friend."

"I want to believe that, Felix. I really do." Garet gritted his teeth. "But excuse me if it's very, very hard to do so given everything I've experienced because of this Project of yours lately."

"It's the truth. Hell, my partner doesn't even know that we're supposed to kill you – she thinks we're just supposed to observe and mark your whereabouts. I have no intentions of going through with it. Please... believe me." Felix's facade seemed to crack, and for a moment he almost looked as if he was about to start pleading with him.

Garet heard the waver in his voice, and he found it very hard to ignore. It seemed like Felix was being honest... but how could he be sure? Perhaps he was sincere, but perhaps he was also deceiving him about the memory loss to try and get closer to Garet's confidence. Perhaps Prox knew who he was, and had brainwashed him for this exact purpose. Did Felix know about Psynergy? Hell, did he _have_ it? There was no telling how much about Project Psynergy he knew, or what his place in it was. Trusting him might lead to a new ally – something they desperately needed – or, more likely, it might lead to a knife in the back.

"I'm sorry Felix, but I can't trust you. Too much has happened. Too many people have been hurt or killed because of what Prox is doing... and by the sounds of it, your own sister is among the former."

Felix closed his eyes, balling his hands into fists. "I know. I know, dammit. Everything you said just makes me realise just how messed up everything is getting. I just... urgh. I don't know what I'm supposed to do here."

A small part of Garet's mind hesitated at the words, his sympathy threatening to overwhelm his reason. But then... Feizhi's vision of his possible death came to mind, something he desperately wanted to avoid. For all he knew, she had envisioned that he would trust Felix, only to be shot and killed on the street right here. He could be playing right into Prox's hands. He had to be smart and rational about this.

He had to cut this reunion short.

"Felix, there's nothing you can say or do right now that will convince me that you're being honest. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is" Garet sighed. "The best thing you can do, then, is to match actions with words. You need to go. Right now. Stop following us, and let us go in peace without any more interference. If you can't do that, then I'm going to have to resist whatever you try to do."

Slowly, Felix nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry, Garet."

He sighed, but forced a smile. "Now that part I believe, at least."

A matching smile crept onto the other man's face. "I guess this is goodbye, then. I hope we can meet in better circumstances soon."

"Yeah... me too."

Without another word, Felix turned and walked back the way he'd come, disappearing around the street corner just as quickly as he'd arrived. For the second time in only a few days, Garet watched another remnant of his happy childhood days walk away from him on bad terms. Dammit all. How had it come to this? He sighed heavily, slumping against the wall and balling his hands into fists.

Memories seemed to flow unbidden into his mind, one after another. He saw himself with Isaac, Felix and Jenna, all of them playing by the river at Vale. He saw them climbing the hills around the base of the mountain. He saw an argument between himself and Isaac over something stupid, like who would marry Jenna... and how Felix had quite quickly ended that argument by dashing both their hopes. Then there was the time of the eruption, when they all worked together to gather their things and evacuate before the lava reached their homes. Lastly, he remembered all of them standing together one last time in Vault, making a promise to stay in touch no matter where they went, so that they could meet up again in the future...

Better circumstances indeed. But no, his hopes had just been dragged outside and beaten to a bloody pulp one after another. Garet closed his eyes, forcing his tears not to come this time. Was this what would happen if the Proxians really had their way? More homes destroyed? More hopes destroyed? More friends and families torn apart by things beyond their control?

No... that was unacceptable. If he hadn't already been determined to fight against the Proxians and their Project Psynergy, he certainly had reasons to be motivated now. Why should anyone have to feel as bad as he did right now? If he stopped it, maybe that might spare some people that pain.

Maybe if he stopped it, it'd allow him to reunite with Felix properly: as a good friend.

At the sound of footsteps, Garet opened his eyes to see Feizhi approaching him. He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it.

"Are you okay?" Feizhi asked, studying him with some concern.

"I'll be fine. Self pity can come later." He forced a smile, but it faded fairly quickly. "I'll put it this way – that guy there was a childhood friend of mine, just like Isaac. And just like Isaac, he didn't seem to remember much."

"Really?" She glanced towards where Felix had left, her concern deepening. "Huh. That seems way too unlikely to be a coincidence."

"It gets worse. For whatever reason, his first memory is being found in Prox, and so they took him in. He's working for them. The other follower we had was his partner, who happens to be a Proxian – that's why she's not out in plain sight, I'd imagine. And their job is to kill us."

"What?!" Feizhi blinked. "I... but then... then why did he just walk away?"

"Because he remembered me." Garet looked down at his feet, running the conversation back in his mind. "I don't know whether to believe it, but he said that he's no-one's assassin. I want to trust that he won't, but... well, I remember what you said about your vision."

"Please don't remind me." She looked up and down the street for a few seconds, apparently making sure there weren't any snipers nearby. "So what do we do?"

"Lay low for a start, just in case there are people trying to kill us with less convictions than him." He thought hard for a moment. "Then we can either get out of here and try to track down Hama from somewhere safe... or we can stay here and do that, while looking into Proxian presence in the meantime."

"Proxian presence? You think there are more here besides those two?"

"If they've been following us since we landed, then that means either they spotted us coming in, or somebody spotted us leaving Alhafra and arranged for them to be here. They might have been here already, or else they haven't exactly come far to find us." He smiled. "And if they were already here, perhaps there were others. It's worth looking into, if only so we can find out why they were waiting for us."

Feizhi nodded. "That's actually really sensible, Garet."

"I have my moments."

She laughed, turning away from him and walking in the direction towards their hotel. "I guess there's a first time for everything."

"Oh come on..." He sighed and followed after her, glad at least that she was still in a better mood than she had been. In the meantime, he considered the possibility of changing hotels to avoid the Proxians planting eyes on them.

He also couldn't help but keep an eye on the rooftops... just in case.

...

Karst perched on the third floor fire escape, remaining as quiet and motionless as was humanly possible while she watched the conversation from afar. Whatever Felix and his acquaintance were talking about was a complete mystery to her, and as curious as she was, it wasn't her business unless Felix made it her business. She just had to keep an eye on them and make sure it didn't get too hostile. So far, it seemed that they were being completely civil... though whatever they were talking about was apparently putting her partner on edge.

It was somewhat disconcerting to think about. She'd known Felix for a couple of years now, but that was only a small amount of her life and her memories, all things considered. Felix, though... to him, though, she'd practically always been there. He'd always been a pupil of Saturos. He'd always been training as a duelist and a soldier. Anything else was a long lost curiosity, something that no doubt bugged him but was always absent regardless.

Now, all of a sudden, he'd recognised somebody that he inexplicably found familiar. This person was telling him memories and events that had clearly happened to him, but had just been denied him until now. Everything he knew and recalled had gone from being his entire life to just a slice of it... and likely a disjointed slice, at that.

Karst wondered what he was starting to remember, now. How did it make him feel? How was he going to handle it? Would he suddenly become a different person? Would he decide that Prox was no longer where he belonged? Selfishly, she even asked herself if she had a place in his old life. Was that all about to change, too? Perhaps she should have gone with him... for all she knew, he was now telling Proxian secrets directly to people working against them. But... he'd never do that. Never... right?

A little knot of worry and fear was worming its way into her heart and refusing to budge. Silently, she glanced down at her pistol, which she kept ready to use if Felix would need it. It wasn't that far away, and she was a decent shot. She might be able to take out his friend if she aimed really well. Then perhaps there'd be no doubt in Felix's mind where his loyalties lay...

She ground her teeth together and moved her hand away from the weapon. No. Why would she even consider that? She was better than that, dammit. Besides, Alex's orders were merely to observe, not engage. Perhaps he had other plans for the Madrans later. They needed to live for now... and killing them for her own selfish reasons would just make Felix hate her much, much faster anyway.

It was his life. It was his choice to make. Still... she was so happy to finally have a partner like all the other Proxians. It was nice to not be looked at with sadness just because she was the unlucky child. It was nice to have Felix. Karst just hoped she'd still have him by the time this was all done.

Lost as she was in those thoughts, she almost didn't realise that their conversation had ended. Felix was walking back the way he'd come, back to their rendezvous point. She glanced back at Felix's friend, who hadn't moved at all... in fact, he looked kind of angry. What had Felix said to him? The worries came back, but she forced them out of her mind and bid herself to move.

Making sure nobody was watching her, she climbed down from the fire escape and slipped down the street, looking as ordinary as possible. Moving down a narrow alley, she found a small bench on the next street. Felix was already sitting there, and he spotted her the moment she came into view.

"Hey. Are you alright?" Amazingly, it wasn't Karst that had said that – it was Felix. She frowned.

"Yeah, of course I'm alright." She sat down next to him. "That's the question I should be asking you. How are you feeling?"

Felix didn't answer at first. He leaned back against the bench, his eyes skyward and his expression thoughtful. Once again, she ould feel that tangle of negativity in her chest, but she forced it out of her mind.

"He told me a few things, Karst. He knew who I was instantly, and he told me how we'd grown up together. A place called Vale, somewhere in western Angara."

"I think I've heard of that... wasn't that near the volcano that went off a few years ago?"

"Yes... which explains why I'm not anywhere near it any more." He smiled, but it was easy to see how forced it was. "But he mentioned a little about what happened... a little bit about my family. And the moment he mentioned them, something came back to me."

"You remember them?"

"Not perfectly, but... a name came back to me instantly. Jenna." He looked towards Karst. "My little sister. I... I still don't know what happened, but I know I told my parents that I'd be able to look after her. I guess I failed."

Karst opened her mouth to reply, but then quickly closed it. How were you supposed to answer something like that? Instead, she just put an arm around him and leaned in close, squeezing his hand comfortingly with her other arm.

To her unspoken relief, he replied in kind and leaned in closer to her. "Whatever happened, though, she's alive. Except..."

"Except?"

"I think she's involved in all this business too, just like he was."

Karst nodded, chewing her lip. "Does that mean... you want to go and find her?"

Felix turned to face her, hesitating. "A little. But... we're working for the Project. We're supposed to follow orders. I can't just leave to do my own thing, not now."

The selfish part of her mind folded its arms and smiled smugly in Karst's imagination. Yet despite that... she wasn't convinced. Yes, she was happy that he seemed adamant on staying and carrying on his duty, but if he wasn't going to be happy about it... why should that make her happy? And how much of his actual feelings was he burying for the sake of Prox?

"Felix... be honest with yourself, and with me. Think about what you want to do if you didn't have those orders, if the Project didn't matter at all. If you were free to stand up and leave right now to go do whatever you wanted in the world... what would you do? Where would you go?"

He didn't reply straight away, instead taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Karst waited, uncomfortably aware of her own tense heartbeats as she waited for the answer.

"If I didn't have the Project to think about..." He opened his eyes again. "I would have to find her, wouldn't I? If there's even a chance that I could find my long lost sister again, I would want to take that chance to search for her. I'd want to try and remember, to find out what had happened, and make sure she was safe and happy. I mean... wouldn't you want the same if you learned about Menardi for what felt like the first time?"

"Mmm... I'm sure I would, too."

That worry was in her chest yet again. A million thoughts were racing through her mind. Should she tell him to go do it? Surely she could explain it all to Alex and he might understand. And hey, it's not like the world was a huge and distant place. They could still stay in touch, keep tabs on each other, remain in contact if he did decide to leave. But she didn't want him to. She wanted him here, even if she knew it was better for him to go.

"I'd want you to come with me, though."

She'd been about to say something, but Felix beat her to it. She turned to meet his gaze, the worry quickly shifting into a sense of hope.

"If orders weren't a problem, then I'd want you there by my side. I mean... Prox considers us practically partners now, right? It'd seem wrong to break that up."

"Partners?" Karst barked out a laugh, letting a smirk creep onto her features. "Really? That's the best you can do?"

_Ah, there's my humour. I was wondering where that had gone._

Felix quickly hesitated. "Well, I mean-"

"I know what you mean. Relax." She squeezed his hand again. "Believe me, I'd go with you in a heartbeat if orders and duties weren't involved."

"But they are involved. That's the problem." He frowned. "What was said today changes a few things, but... it can't change what I'm doing here. It doesn't. Prox is my home now, regardless of what came before. I want what's best for Prox and its people. I want the best for Saturos and Menardi, and I especially want the best for you."

"Prox can take care of itself if it really wants to, Felix. You don't have to shoulder the burden of the whole country."

Felix shrugged. "I don't know... the last time Prox looked out for itself, it lost the war."

Karst stared at him in shock for a few seconds, before barking a quiet laugh. "Wow, that was uncharacteristically harsh."

"Sorry about that..."

"Don't be." She smiled. "I like jokes, so don't worry. And don't worry about the others and things if you really need to. If you're that concerned, try talking to Alex about it and see if he'll give you lead to start searching... and be sure to put in a word for me too. If that's what you need to do, I just want to tag along."

"Yeah... Alex. I should talk to him, I guess." Felix nodded slowly, then lightly removed her arm from his shoulder so he could stand up and stretch. "Not right now, though. We've done what we needed to do, right? We should get going... we know where those two are staying if we need to keep tabs on them, after all."

"Right." Karst stood as well, looking around for a moment to get her bearings and then walking back towards where they'd left their car. "Another easy job completed."

"Yes indeed..."

If Felix sounded uncertain, Karst didn't hear it. There were much more pleasant things on her mind to focus on.

…

Karst was so sweet to him, Felix mused quietly as he fell in step beside her. He wasn't much of a romantic, but he did care deeply for the young Proxian woman. Her adoration for him was clear... if a little unfounded, in his eyes. More so than anything else, he really did want her to be happy and content with her life.

Which is why it was so difficult to keep hiding things from her. Yes, everything he'd said about his sentiments and his decisions was true. Yes, he'd rather go with her than without her. Yes, he did consider Prox the only real home he had, and he did want to see them get ahead in the world again. He wouldn't lie about anything personal like that.

But... he was still lying about their orders. He still hadn't told her that Alex had ordered them to kill Garet and his companion, not just watch them. As supportive of his feelings and his potential desire to leave and search for Jenna as Karst was, that was still a bit different from actually leaving everything behind and going with him. If she knew that he'd lied to her about the nature of their job, would she still feel as strongly? Or would she understand his desire to not kill people like that, and stick with her resolve?

Already, things were coming to a head. He wanted to be a part of all this, but he wasn't sure if he could agree with Alex's methods. He was going to have to confront him about his this... and he was going to have to do it soon. Then he would have to talk to Karst about it all and reveal the truth. The longer he waited, the worse it was probably going to be for him... and for Karst.

He desperately hoped it wouldn't lead to breaking her heart.

…

"So that's much of our story," Ivan said, glancing at Sheba. "Unless I missed anything."

"Nothing that I would know about." She shrugged.

Mia only just now realised that she'd been sitting forward intently during Ivan's recount, so she leaned back in her chair and thought about what had been said. She'd been worried to hear that Ivan had been captured by the Proxians, so she was still incredibly glad to see him safe and sound now. Still... just like her, it seemed that he'd been changed by the ordeal as well. He'd also been given Psynergy – and a different kind of Psynergy from hers and the Proxians, to boot. Why would they do something like that, especially if there was a danger of him waking up and breaking free during the procedure?

Then there was Sheba. Mia glanced at the young girl out of the corner of her eye, noting how impassive she seemed. Her powers were even more of a mystery than Ivan's. Going berserk and trying to destroy everything around her with lightning powers during the storm? Complete memory loss from before little more than a week prior? And she also happened to have been imprisoned with Piers before all that, worried that they were going to conduct some kind of experiments on her?

It seemed like the experiments had gone ahead, judging by the story... and that meant that she was an entirely unknown factor. Despite Piers' assurance, who knew what might happen if she went berserk again without warning? According to Ivan, she'd become somewhat quieter and subdued since Imil, as if afraid to lose herself again. Mia just didn't know what to think of it, or if there was anything that could be done to help. Perhaps she'd talk to the girl after they had finished and see if she could help somehow with her memories.

They had gathered in a conference room that Briggs had provided for them, and they'd spent the better part of the morning recounting their various adventures and exploits. It had been quickly decided that pooling their resources and strengths together would let them fight Project Psynergy more efficiently, so they all needed to be on a level playing field as far as information went. With Ivan completing his recap, they'd all had a chance to speak now.

"Alright then, very good..." Kraden scribbled a note down in his book that he'd been using to collate everything being said. "With all that said and done, does anyone object to a quick recap of what we know about Project Psynergy so far?"

"Go ahead," Piers said.

"Right. So, obviously, the crux of Project Psynergy is a genetic engineering experiment being conducted largely by Proxians. The experiments are being conducted to imbue the recipient with... for a lack of a better term, we'll call it 'magic'. This magical power gives them control over one element that they can use to influence the world around them, usually with quite destructive force. We've seen three elements demonstrated so far – water by Piers and Mia, wind and lightning by Ivan, and fire by a number of different Proxians. I would theorise that there is a fourth element that controls the power of earth, based on old documents and studies unearthed-"

Ivan cleared his throat loudly and pointedly, causing Kraden to momentarily pause and glare at him.

"…but we don't know about that for sure, so I'll move on." He glanced at Ivan once more, shook his head, and continued. "The process used to provide this power seems to be the implantation of a kind of symbiotic bacteria into the body, which then bonds with the host and provides this kind of manipulation of the world around it. Variations of this procedure may exist, but this is the only one we have any evidence of actually having been done so far.

"The providing of this power seems to be the focal point of Project Psynergy, but there is clearly more to it – if it was just about providing power, then kidnapping and experimentation on non-Proxians would be unnecessary and they could already be starting fights or battles with their newfound capabilities right now. Instead, they appear to be implanting multiple outsiders with powers. To what end, we don't know, but that does bring up the mysterious case of Sheba. Instead of having control over her powers, they appear to be dormant until and unless she suddenly goes berserk. Whether this is brought on by an external influence or something else is unknown, but given the mysterious storm over Imil at the time, it's likely to be connected."

Sheba sighed loudly, and Mia glanced at her again. Across the table, she could see Piers frowning.

"Let's see... as well as the implantation, there is the aforementioned storm that we will probably need to investigate. How does that relate to Psynergy, and was it caused by Prox? It seems uncannily timed, but there is no proof as to its relevance or connection just yet. Ivan also uncovered plans for a structure called Mercury Lighthouse, but what it does and how it relates to everything is also unknown... doubly so since we don't have the plans were lost with the Elementalists. Beyond these points, we still don't know much about the Project's overall goals, and we certainly don't know how many have been implanted, Proxian or otherwise. This is what we need to focus on most."

"What about the origin of Psynergy?" Ivan suggested.

"Also unknown... though some of my studies would indicate that this is not a new power, and that Psynergy has surfaced in much older parts of Weyard's history. Additionally, the first overt sign of this Project was when a Lemurian naval officer by the name of Alex discovered ancient documents and blueprints in Tundaria Tower before kidnapping Piers and defecting to Prox."

Mia frowned at the mention of Alex, folding her arms against her chest and forcing herself not to shiver. If only she could find him and figure out his angle in all of this...

"Before his defection, we knew nothing of Project Psynergy. The only thing we had to go on was that he was under suspicion of consorting with the Proxians and potentially selling them information, but the nature of what was happening eluded us until Piers escaped. According to what he saw and heard in his captivity in Prox, Alex was in a position of power in the Project – we're not sure what, specifically, but he does seem to be high up the chain of command."

"So what you're trying to say is that we have no idea where or how Psynergy came to be about," Ivan said, folding his arms. "We also have absolutely no idea what the actual aims of our opponents are, and the only lead we have to go on is the same lead that you've had for weeks – months, even – without making any significant progress."

Kraden hesitated. "Well... yes."

Mia expected Ivan to roll his eyes, but instead he simply grinned. "Lemuria's finest indeed. Clearly, we are the best anti-terrorists the world has ever seen."

Piers burst out laughing. The sound was so unexpected that even Ivan and Mia couldn't help but join in his laughter. Before too long, even Sheba and Kraden were joining in. Dire as the circumstances were, it suddenly seemed so ridiculous how little they actually knew.

"Alright, children, settle down." Kraden covered up his lingering grin by adjusting his glasses and staring down at his notes. "It's true, we don't know very much, but there are reasons for that. Much of the Elementalists work was lost when they were attacked. The Mercury Lighthouse files were heavily encrypted and protected, so there was little opportunity to decode them before the attack. Any copies that might still exist remain in the hands of the Proxians... or perhaps with Jenna, assuming she is still well after her broadcast."

"We haven't learned much in Champa either," Piers added, "but at least we've networked with Briggs and secured Champan neutrality if nothing else."

"And I guess I haven't exactly been helping, since all Sheba and I have been doing is trying to stay alive and out of the hands of the Proxians." Ivan frowned. "We succeeded in that, but only brought more questions to the table otherwise."

Mia hesitated before speaking up. "It seems pretty simple what we need to do to answer those questions, then. We need Alex."

All heads turned to her, and she suddenly felt herself trying not to blush. There was no need to be afraid around them, though, so she continued.

"I know that's not exactly easy. We don't know where he is or have any way to track where he's been... but he has the answers to all the questions we need. Where did his knowledge of Psynergy come from? He knows. Is he leading the Project, or are there others above him? He knows. What are the aims of the Project in the long run? He knows all of these things. If we find him, we can get him to tell us."

"I think it would be much harder to get him to talk than what you're suggesting," Kraden said.

Mia lowered her gaze to the table and shrugged. "He'll talk to me. I know it. And if I'm wrong... so what? We'll still have him. Take him to Lemuria, imprison him, question him there... it doesn't matter, but it'll slow down Project Psynergy in the long run."

Piers was still looking in her direction when she raised her eyes again. She offered him a brief smile, which he returned.

"I like the bold approach," Ivan said, nodding. "But you already hinted at the major problem: we have absolutely no idea where Alex is. The last anyone here saw of him was when he was at Prox, weeks ago. If he's there, we have no hope of getting to him. If he's not there, I can't really condone the idea of dispersing to all corners of Weyard in the search of one single man. As much as we can prioritise his capture, we need to be doing other things while working towards it."

"Yeah... I suppose you're right." She shrugged, trying to hide any disappointment she may have felt. Ivan was completely right, of course... but she still was desperate to learn Alex's angle on this.

"Alright, so our first priority is finding out information about Alex and his location." Piers rubbed his chin in thought. "And I think the best way to do that would be a direct strike against the Proxians."

Now it was his turn to have everyone's attention suddenly focused on him.

"I'm not saying we storm the beaches of Prox or anything crazy like that," he added. "But this Imil Base that Ivan was captured in is the most important clue we have right now. The plans for the Lighthouse were there. Ivan was augmented with Psynergy there. We don't know where else the Proxians are operating from, but we do know of that. If we can ransack it, find out everything we can, and then destroy it, then that will hopefully set the Proxians back. If we're lucky, we'll find out something that can lead to our next target, or perhaps find out where Alex is. It might be risky, but it's a better plan than doing nothing."

"It'll definitely be risky." Ivan shrugged. "If they haven't militarised the place after our first two intrusions and my escape, then I'll be really surprised. There was also at least one Psynergy user present when I left, and who knows how many there are now?"

"We have three Psynergy users here," Mia countered. "It's not like we're defenceless."

"Perhaps. Still, though... what the hell. I'm in." He smirked. "Like you said, we don't know where else the Proxians are operating from them, and I'd rather do something than sit on my hands."

"I'm in too," Sheba piped up. "I'd rather be doing something active than sitting here talking all day."

Piers glanced to Mia, and she nodded. "I guess that's all the combatants in, then. Kraden?"

Kraden grumbled. "I doubt I can be much of an active participant, but I'd rather keep an eye on you all than be returned to Lemuria, if that's what you're asking."

"Alright then." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "I want to be sailing out of Champa within two hours from now. Get whatever you think then and meet at the docks – we'll sort out who travels on what boat then."

Without waiting for any answers, Piers left the room. It didn't seem like Piers to be so abrupt... but then Mia glanced towards Kraden, who was left looking slightly dumbfounded and annoyed, and his reasoning became clear. Kraden was an intelligent man, but if he was left to have a say in the logistics of their mission, they'd probably be here until the next day. Better to leave as soon as they could.

Two hours, then. She had a few things she would like to acquire in Champa before they left, so that would give her just enough time. Following Piers' cue, she left the room also, with Ivan and Sheba right behind her. Sheba said something quiet to Ivan that she couldn't overhear, then turned and walked in a different direction. Ivan took that opportunity to step up beside Mia, clearing his throat.

"You know... you don't have to get involved in this. Returning you to the Elementalists was a stupid idea on my part, I know, and I'm sorry for how they treated you. I just wanted to get you back home and out of this whole affair, Psynergy or not, but it wasn't possible. It is now, though. We're going to Imil anyway, so I'll happily drop you off there before we attack."

For a moment, she had the odd image of Ivan wearing a set of shining armour stuck in her mind, standing against a bright backdrop and wielding a sword and shield in her defence. That was honestly how she was starting to feel every time he showed up. It was an amusing thought... but also a comforting one.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I can't really go back home just yet. I said I was going to help Piers, and I mean to follow through on that claim." Mia smiled, but it only lasted for a moment. "More than that, though... I'm doing this for me as well. I want to know why this happened, Ivan... and I intend to find out, whatever it takes."

He nodded. "I thought that would be your response, but I still wanted to make sure. I have just one request, then."

"What's that?"

"I want to help however I can. Do let me know if I can be of assistance, okay?"

She smiled again. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

…

For the entirety of the flight to Imil, the guilt refused to die down in Hama's thoughts.

She did very little for the entire trip. The in-flight entertainment failed to distract, sleep eluded her entirely, and all she really felt like doing was fidgeting with the scarf around her neck, trying not to let her restlessness disturb the person sitting beside her in the process. As much as she told herself over and over that she'd made the right decision, the guilt of her deceit to those most important to her still rankled. It was going to be a very long time before she stopped dwelling on what Feizhi must have thought of her, assuming she ever stopped thinking about it at all.

So much was at stake, though. She had been a guardian of a dying breed, a keeper of ancient lore and secrets that had long been determined not to return to human knowledge. Psynergy had ravaged the world and all its peoples long ago, and the humans of the modern era were definitely not ready for its return.

But it had returned, hadn't it? And it had already manifested itself in her pupil... both her pupils, she corrected quietly. They were all Adepts now – Feizhi by accident, Garet by what she could only chalk up to providence. They should have been given the chance to share in her duties. They would have followed her in a heartbeat if she had told them...

And that, Hama told herself sternly, was liable to have them walk right into the pit of vipers that she was now descending into. Something unusual and unprecedented had happened in Imil, something that had the mark of the supernatural that accompanied practically everything Psynergy touched. The danger before her was incredible, and it wasn't right of her to endanger the lives of the two young adults that were her only truly trusted companions in this world.

...It was no use. She sighed, tugging on the scarf. No matter how many times she repeated her reasoning, her guilt remained completely unconvinced. Already she missed Feizhi and Garet. She just hoped that they could remain safe and secure. She'd contact them soon, just to make sure that all was well. Whether or not they actually accepted her reasoning and her apologies didn't matter... as long as they were safe.

She'd been so intent on this thinking that by the time she'd landed in Imil and stepped off the plane into the airport gate, she hadn't even thought for a second what her approach would be once she was here. Frowning, she took a seat at the gate and tried to compose her thoughts. No time for self-pity now.

Alright. There had been an unnatural storm erupting in Imil only a few days prior, right about the time that Jenna's hacked message had gone public. They'd theorised that the storm was a means of covering the story up somewhat, but the actual method of creating a storm like that was beyond anything Hama could fathom. She wasn't a very strong Adept and thus the power was completely behond her, but nothing she'd ever read or studied had suggested that _anyone_ had ever had the power to do that.

Either way, the fact that Proxian aid and relief workers had been dispatched immediately to help their neighbour had only intensified their suspicions. They were putting on a good show for the cameras, but had Prox moved that presence into Imil for any particular purpose? If the storm was their doing, humanitarian aid and good publicity seemed like wasted potential. No, something more was happening here... she just needed to find out what. How, though? It was a big city, and she couldn't just walk to the nearest Proxian and start interrogating them.

Frustrated, Hama glanced around the terminal gate as if looking for a source of inspiration. That was when she noticed the Proxian standing at the gate, staring directly at her.

Fear and adrenalin rushed into her in a heartbeat. Impossible. She'd done everything that she could to keep their escape from Alhafra noticed... could they really be looking for her?

The man had pale skin, spiky grey-blue hair, and a considerably large, muscular build. He was clothed in a spotless black business suit and tie, and a hat was nestled under one arm. He looked just like a chaffeur waiting for a distinguished guest, and the effect was completed by the sign he held in one hand to the disembarking passengers.

It read, quite simply, "Madran Police Officer".

She'd been found, somehow. There was no hoping or pretending otherwise.

The moment Hama's gaze fell on him, a smirk crept onto his face. With his free hand, he beckoned her over. She had to fight the instinct to sprint away as quickly as she could, taking the time instead to try and think this through.

They were in a public place – while that hadn't stopped the Proxians from using Psynergy in the open before, it would likely be a very unwise thing to do with Imil as tense as it was right now. If she tried to run, he would likely have to try and catch her on foot... something that she imagined he'd be able to do quite quickly, judging from his physique. Besides, he could easily have backup that she hadn't spotted, so it was a long shot at best.

The other alternative was to go with the man. Despite his civility right now, she doubted he really had any benevolent intentions – if she went with him, she very much doubted that she'd ever leave Prox's custody of her own volition. She knew too much about what was happening, and her status as an Adept would probably seem like a threat to them. If they didn't imprison her indefinitely, they'd kill her outright.

What choice was there, really?

Seeing that she was making no effort to accept his invitation, the Proxian man sighed and started moving towards her. The crowd of people disembarking the plane had thinned out by now, so there was very little in the way between the two of them except a few plastic seats and the occasional straggler. Beyond this gate, there was roughly another dozen before she made it to the security doors and out to the baggage collection. There'd be no time to stop at that, either... she'd just have to keep running until she was sure of safety.

_He's getting closer. Go... go!_

Hama pushed out of her seat with all her strength, surging forward as quickly as she could. The Proxian was ready for it and started running after her, but there was enough distance between them for her to maintain a lead. She spared no thoughts to onlookers – she was too afraid of being caught to do anything but run for dear life.

Without warning, the temperature around her shot up dramatically, and she found herself sweltering from completely unbearable heat. She could feel herself stumble in hesitation, drained of energy as if she'd been stricken with a fever. Sweat started to build up and she gasped in air, glancing back her shoulder at the Proxian.

His hand was held out towards her, and he was wrapped in the unmistakable aura of a person using Psynergy. Yet there was no flame, no burning beam, no outward sign that anything was happening – just blistering, staggering heat.

She wanted to keep running, but the effort required to do so suddenly seemed immense. Desperate, she reached for her own Psynergy, focusing on the burning air around her. A cocoon of wind started to form around her, and she started forcing it towards her pursuer, trying to force the heat away.

It worked, and the air around her cooled noticably... but the Proxian had never stopped running, and her hesitation was enough to let him close the gap. Even against the wind, he closed to her and clapped a hand on her shoulder, gripping it firmly enough to make her wince and struggle.

"Please, miss. I understand your actions completely, but I can't let you leave this building on your own. If you come with me, I promise that you will remain unharmed."

"Why should I believe you?" she hissed at him, grabbing at his wrist with one hand and reaching out with the other to grab his coat, hoping she could use that leverage to trip him up and keep running. The man was prepared for that too, however, and he simply moved right up to her, effectively pinning the arm. He knew how to move in close quarters combat, it seemed.

"You should believe me because I'm being sincere... and because you don't have any other options." He stared down at her, practically towering over her by nearly a foot.

"What's to keep me from shouting rape and drawing every security guard in the building?" Hama said, meeting his stare.

"Then I'll knock you out, say that you starting acting hysterically, and would have somebody else at random wait with you until the airport medical teams show up. They will, of course, be working with me on the matter and will deliver you quietly to a place of my choosing, with no-one the wiser."

It took a lot of effort to keep the doubt from her face, but Hama did what she could to remain defiant and steadfast. If what he said was true, it seemed like they'd gone to a lot of effort and planning just to bring her down.

"Furthermore," he continued, "assuming none of that happens and you do get away from me, there are others on standby nearby. Their orders are simple – if you aren't accompanied by me, then they are to kill you. I promise you, even with that warning you will not see it coming before the end." He shrugged.

Now it really did seem like a lot of effort... but there was absolutely no sign on the Proxian's face that he was telling anything but the complete truth. "Why would you go to so much effort for me? I'm nobody."

"On the contrary, miss. You have interesting abilities that are similar to the ones I have, but of a completely different... element, shall we say? That's quite curious to us, and my employer happens to be quite interested in finding out how and where such things came to be. Again, I promise that you will be completely unharmed... and I suspect that the boss might even want to offer you a job once you've had a chat with him."

That would make sense. Presumably, all the Psynergy that the Proxians possessed was artificially implanted, much like how Feizhi had accidentally gained a measure of power. If there was another source of Psynergy available, they'd want to get their hands on it... and if they discovered her power was natural, that would probably be quite a surprise to them.

"Once again, why should I believe you?" Still she stared at the Proxian, silently focusing on whatever kind of Psynergy reserve she could muster. If need be, she'd hit him with everything he had before trying to make a run for it, despite his warnings.

"I've told you why already." He sighed. "Look. I've been civil this whole time, but really, I'm just a soldier. I'm doing my job and following orders, and I've explained how the situation is, so it's time to choose. You can come with me peacefully, or you can make this hard for everyone. I promise you one thing, though – if you don't choose the peaceful option, then my boss will make sure you're punished for it... or, more accurately, your two young companions that you just sent to Lalivero will be."

A horrible chill ran through her spine, and Hama shuddered despite herself. Was he bluffing? Surely he had to be bluffing... she'd sent Feizhi and Garet to safety. There was no way the Proxians could get to them that quickly. But then, she hadn't expected them to catch up with her that quickly, either... and he's mentioned Lalivero specifically. There could be no mistake.

Killing her was one thing, but she couldn't let her proteges die. She had to assume the worst – that they were in danger.

"You bastard," she whispered quietly, letting go of his wrist and dropping her hands to her side in a show of submission.

"Harsh, but fair. I am sorry, for what it's worth."

He released his grip on her, taking a light step back and looking around for a moment. Hama did too, looking imploringly at anybody nearby to see if they might assist her, but all of them ignored the pair completely. Typical... everyone was in their own little world, avoiding the plights of others in case it dragged them into unnecessary trouble.

"If you were truly sorry, I wouldn't be in this mess. Fine. I'll suffer your captivity and let myself be interrogated by your employer, but you will not hurt them or I swear I will live long enough to see you all suffer greatly for it." Her eyes met his again, channelling as much fury into the gaze as she could. "Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, and I'll see what I can do for them. Until then, please come along. My car is waiting."

He gestured for Hama to start walking, and he moved beside her when she did to guide her in the right direction. Her mind raced with the implications of what was happening and just how much trouble she was in. The only possible positive outcome was that her actions might help Feizhi and Garet stay out of the conflict for a while. Furthermore, being questioned by the Proxian's "employer" might reveal a few details about just where this whole Project Psynergy thing had started from its very source.

Whether or not she actually got to use any knowledge she gained seemed like unlikely, but it was a silver lining, and it was all she had for now. She sighed, scratching futilely at her neck to try and ease the nervous itch that had started underneath the scarf.

…

**Author's Notes:** I do wish I had more to show for such a long absence, but this was the first time I've felt inspired to write this in a very long time, so I just had to milk it for all it was worth. I could probably do this chapter a lot better as well, but I think anybody still reading this has been waiting long enough for an update that I didn't want to delay it any longer. As usual, I can't guarantee when the next update will come, but I am trying to make it happen sooner than this one. A lot sooner. Thanks for your patience!

...assuming there's any of you still left, that is!


End file.
